


love the way you lie.

by porcelainsimplicity



Series: savor every second together. [4]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Disabled Character, Charles is Erik's Babysitter, Charles is Raven's Babysitter, Charles speaks horrible German, Curious!Peter, Erik's Attempt at Parenting, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Post-Film
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-02-21 11:49:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2467232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainsimplicity/pseuds/porcelainsimplicity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just gonna stand there and watch me burn<br/>Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts<br/>Just gonna stand there and hear me cry<br/>Well that's alright because I love the way you lie<br/>I love the way you lie</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. day one.

**Author's Note:**

> and we're back with the next part of the saga. hope you like it.
> 
> btw, all german is from google translate. i don't speak german at all.

On the first page of our story  
The future seemed so bright  
Then the saint turned out so evil  
I don't know why I'm still surprised  
Even angels have their wicked schemes  
And you take that to new extremes  
But you'll always be my hero  
Even though you've lost your mind

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn  
Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts  
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry  
Well that's alright because I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie  
_love the way you lie, part two_ by skylar grey  


Charles awoke to the sound of rapid knocking on his bedroom door, which only meant that Peter was outside his door. Yawning, he turned his head in the direction of the door and blinked in the darkness. _Peter, go away and let me sleep._

“No can do, Professor,” Peter said loudly, making Charles sigh. “I was outside doing laps of the mansion, and this car pulled up, someone took a big blanket wrapped thing out of the backseat, set it on the doorstep and then left. So of course I was curious as to what the big blanket wrapped thing was, so I unwrapped it, and it's a freaking kid that's blue and has a tail. Also there's a note with your name on it.”

Charles ran his hands over his face before reaching over and turning on the bedside lamp. _Come in before you wake up the whole house._

Charles forced himself into a sitting position as Peter slowly opened the door and walked in, said child clinging to his back, sound asleep. Peter stood there next to Charles's bed for a moment before thrusting the envelope at him. “I got him to fall asleep again while running some more laps around the mansion.”

“Good,” Charles said, yawning again as he tore open the envelope. He read through it once, then again, then set it down and ran his hands over his face, because he could not possibly be reading what he was reading. He glanced over at Peter and the child again before picking up the letter and reading it for a third time.

_Meet your nephew. His name is Kurt Wagner and he speaks very little English. I'll explain when I get there, which will hopefully be soon._

“What did the person who dropped him off look like?” Charles asked, looking over Kurt.

“Um, tall, green hair, large green slash across his face. Never seen him before in my life. Was I supposed to recognize him?”

“No,” Charles said, setting the letter to the side and reaching for his wheelchair. “I have a feeling they worked for your father, however.”

Peter froze. “This isn't my brother or something, is it?”

“I really, really hope not,” Charles said, refusing to go down that train of thought. But then again, why else would Erik have Raven's child? _No, no, no, no, stop. NOW._

“Um, Professor?” Peter was looking at him with wild eyes.

Charles maneuvered himself into his wheelchair, and waved a hand in Peter's general direction. “You weren't supposed to hear that.”

“Professor, who is this kid?” Peter's voice sounded worried.

“He's apparently my nephew,” Charles said, taking them both in. “His name is Kurt, and he supposedly speaks very little English.”

“Yeah, he didn't really communicate much,” Peter said. “Said only a few words.”

Charles started towards the door. “What were they?”

“Nightcrawler, circus, Munich, and ängslich,” Peter said, following after him. “I have no idea what that last one means.”

“Afraid,” Charles responded, reaching the elevator and calling it. “It's German. That's probably the language he speaks.”

“Dad speaks German,” Peter mused as they got into the elevator. “Are you absolutely positive that this isn't my brother?”

“No, Peter, I am not, but the only way that Kurt is your brother is if your father got my sister pregnant, and I'd rather not think about that right now, if you don't mind,” Charles said curtly, prompting Peter to murmur an apology. “No need to apologize, Peter. It's just a mental image that I really don't want to have.”

“I don't blame you,” Peter said, following Charles out of the elevator when it reached the ground floor. “I mean, I've got sisters, but that thought is just creepy.”

Charles paused on his way to the study and turned to look at Peter. “This is probably just because it's the middle of the night, but did you just imply that your partner would be a man and not a woman?”

Peter's mouth opened and shut a few times like a fish out of water before ducking his head down. “I'm not sure yet.”

“Okay,” Charles said slowly. “Well, if you ever need someone to talk to about it, I'm always around. I never thought I'd be with a man until your father came into my life. In fact, I was quite happy pulling co-eds in Oxford.”

Peter laughed as Charles turned back around and continued to the study. “You and co-eds? I can't really picture that, Professor.”

“I used to be a very different man, Peter,” Charles said as they went into his study. “Do you think you can lay him down on the sofa?”

Peter slowly extracted himself from Kurt's grip and laid the young mutant down on the sofa. “How old do you think he is?”

Charles stared at him for a moment. “Eight. He's eight. And he's not your father's child.”

Peter looked between Kurt and Charles for a moment before appearing in one of the chairs in front of Charles's desk. “Are you reading his mind?”

“Sometimes it's better to do it when the child is asleep,” Charles said. “They can be quite frightened when someone enters their mind. Although I do believe young Kurt has been frightened enough in his life. Apparently he's been in a circus in Munich since he was four.”

“Well, that explains circus and Munich. What about Nightcrawler?” Peter asked.

“That's what they called him,” Charles said, his eyes trained on Kurt. “The Incredible Nightcrawler. A mutant named Mastermind removed him from the circus three weeks ago. He definitely works for your father. I don't know the identity of the mutant who brought him here, but if Mastermind had him, then that mutant definitely works for your father too.”

“So why did my father have your sister's kid?” Peter asked, and Charles turned his gaze to him.

“I don't know,” Charles said, “but there is an astonishing lack of memories of my sister in his head. It makes me wonder how long ago she abandoned him.”

“Abandoned him?”

“Yes,” Charles said firmly. “Raven always wanted children. If this is indeed her child, and I see no reason why he isn't, then I don't understand why he has spent so much of his life without her.”

“But he has some memories of her?” Peter asked softly.

“Vague ones,” Charles said. “From when he was very small. I don't think he's seen her since he was about eight months old. And I will not lie to you, Peter. That makes me very angry with my sister.”

“I can understand why,” Peter said, looking over at Kurt. “So, um, you happen to speak German?”

“Not fluently, but I know a little,” Charles said. “I took some German courses at Oxford.”

They both were looking at Kurt when he suddenly disappeared, and Peter stood up in alarm. “Where the hell did he go?” he asked, his voice shaky.

Charles just pointed to the other end of the study. “He's there, by the chess board.”

Peter spun around and saw him standing there, eyeing the two of them curiously. “How'd he do that?”

“He's a teleporter,” Charles said, smiling at the young mutant. “Kurt, ist es ok. Es ist nicht nötig angst zu haben.”

“What did you just say?” Peter asked, his eyes still on Kurt.

“I told him it is okay, it's not necessary to be afraid,” Charles said. “Komm näher, Kurt. Wir werden dich nicht verletzen.”

“And now?”

“Come closer. We will not hurt you,” Charles translated, smiling when Kurt disappeared and reappeared in front of the desk. “Ah, guter junge.”

“Sie sprechen Deutsch schrecklich,” Kurt said, making Charles laugh.

“I am so confused,” Peter said, collapsing into a chair and staring at Kurt. “How long until he learns English?”

“He told me I speak horrible German,” Charles clairfied. “And I don't know how long it will take for him to learn English.”

“English,” Kurt said. “Speak little English.”

Charles smiled at him. “I am Charles. This is Peter. Do you know where you are?”

Kurt looked between Charles and Peter before shaking his head. “Say go place safe. But ängstlich.”

“You're afraid,” Charles said softly. “I understand. But we don't want to hurt you. Do you understand me?”

Kurt stared at him for a moment. “Not hurt. Circus hurt. Take away from circus, say go place safe. Is here?”

“Yes,” Charles said, nodding. “This is someplace safe.”

Kurt disappeared again and reappeared on the sofa. “Ich bin müde. Darf ich hier schlafen?”

“Ja,” Charles said, and Kurt laid down on the sofa and closed his eyes. “He's going to sleep.”

Peter watched him for a moment before turning back to Charles. “So does this mean Dad is coming back soon?”

“That's what the note said,” Charles murmured, looking through the drawers of his desk. “It has been five months. It's about time for him to stop by.”

“Do you think he's going to stay for awhile?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because no matter how much we want him to stay, he will always leave,” Charles said matter-of-factly, glancing up at Peter. “I'm afraid this is a dance that we will be having for a very, very long time.”

“I just want to know my dad,” Peter sighed heavily as Charles found what he was looking for, pulling it out of the drawer and handing it across to Peter. 

“I think it's time for you to have this.”

Peter looked at the pendant on a simple chain, trying to figure out what it is. “Uh, what is it?”

“It's a double helix,” Charles explained. “DNA. Mutant DNA. He made that for you the last time he was here.”

Peter stared at it for a moment before grinning, reaching up and putting the chain around his neck. “Cool.”

There was a knock at the door, and they looked up to see Hank standing there. “Charles, I'm surprised you're up.”

“And I'm surprised you're up,” Charles said. “I thought we've discussed how you need to get more sleep.”

“We have,” Hank said, walking into the study. “But I couldn't sleep tonight, and I was watching television, and I caught a brief news story that I think you need to see.”

Charles sighed but nodded, turning to look at Peter. “Stay here with Kurt. I'll be right back.”

Peter nodded as Hank left the study, Charles following after him. “Does this have anything to do with the mutant monitoring program?”

“No, but I think it's safe to say that we need to get to this mutant before anyone else does,” Hank said, leading Charles down the hall and into the room where Hank kept the four television channels available on constant surveillance. “This was on the CBS Evening News.”

Charles brought himself to a stop in the doorway to the room, and Hank quickly brought up the tape he wanted Charles to see. The report was brief, and Charles hardly listened to it, concentrating too much on the fact that every single car on the cul-de-sac that this had been filmed on was levitating at least ten feet off the ground. When the report was over, Hank turned it off, and Charles looked over at him. “What's the mutant's name?”

“Jean,” Hank said. “Jean Grey.”

The name immediately evoked a memory of Logan in Charles's mind, and he smiled. “And where is she?”

“The report was from Annandale-on-Hudson, New York,” Hank said. “I looked it up on the map. It's about seventy-five miles from here.”

Charles looked at his watch. “It's nearly midnight,” he said. “Let's make plans to go tomorrow afternoon. I believe you have a very important lab in the morning.”

Hank groaned. “I'm afraid that half the students are going to blow up the lab.”

“Please keep that from happening,” Charles said seriously. “We've already had to repair the lab once.”

“I will do my best,” Hank said. “And I'll plan for tomorrow afternoon. I suspect you want to go by car since it's so close?”

“Yes, by car will be fine,” Charles said, wheeling himself out of the doorway. “Get some sleep, Hank.”

“I will try, I promise.”

Charles made his way back to his study, finding Peter running around in circles. “Does that not make you dizzy?”

Peter stopped abruptly in front of Charles. “No, not really. Why? Does running in circles usually make people dizzy?”

“Yes,” Charles said seriously. “In fact I'm certain that anyone else running as fast as you do would make them extremely dizzy.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, nodding. “Dad almost got sick when I was breaking him out.”

Charles just laughed. “I'm not surprised. You move very fast. You still need to work on your stabilization of the person you're taking with you. Too many of the students you work with feel nauseous and dizzy after you've run with them.”

“Got it,” Peter said, jumping up and down. “Can I go back to running outside now?”

“Yes,” Charles said, and Peter was gone before Charles could blink.

Charles made his way behind his desk and looked over at Kurt, who seemed to be sleeping soundly. He sighed heavily, wondering just what sort of situation Raven had gotten herself into where she felt she had to abandon her own child. Erik's note had implied that he knew more of the story than he'd put in the note, and Charles just hoped he'd show up soon.

He stared at Kurt for a few more seconds before turning to his desk and a pile of ungraded homework. He worked on the pile for almost two hours before Peter suddenly appeared before him again. “What, Peter?” he asked, not even looking up.

“Guest!” Peter exclaimed, disappearing again.

Charles looked up and found Erik staring back at him, a soft smile on his face. “Hello Charles.”

“Erik,” Charles breathed out, wheeling around the desk and pulling him down into a kiss. “I wasn't expecting you so soon.”

“Soon?” Erik asked, his eyes flickering towards where Kurt was asleep on the sofa. “I sent him here a week ago.”

“He only arrived tonight,” Charles said, watching as Erik's eyes darkened. “Whatever it is, take care of it once you leave. For now, you are here and that is not a part of your life.”

Erik sat down in the chair next to Charles's wheelchair and pulled him into another kiss. “And what is part of my life here, hm?”

“Recruitment,” Charles said. “I had planned to go with Hank tomorrow, but something tells me this will go better if you go with me instead.”

Erik sighed. “You want me to recruit mutants for your school now?”

“I just want you there,” Charles said. “This girl, she is very powerful. I could tell just from the news story. She is one that I think is now probably an unwilling target of Stryker and Trask after that report. It's only seventy-five miles from here, and well, I think I need your ability.”

“You need me to manipulate metal?”

“The cars on this cul-de-sac were ten feet off the ground,” Charles said. “If we get there the same time as these trackers do, I'll need you to use them to shield the house until we can get the girl to safety.”

“Alright,” Erik said, nodding. “She's a child?”

“Yes, and I am not bringing you along to try to bring her onto your side. A child belongs in a school, Erik.”

“I know that,” Erik said, looking over at Kurt. “Why do you think I had him brought here?”

“How could Raven abandon her child like that, Erik?” Charles asked, hurt in his voice. “She could have brought him here.”

“No, she couldn't have,” Erik said, running a hand through his hair. “It's nearly three a.m. Charles. Let's not talk about this tonight.”

“Alright,” Charles said, looking over at Kurt. “Does he know you?”

“Yes.”

“Then scoop him up, and we'll take him upstairs to bed,” Charles said, moving towards the door. “I'll find Peter.”

Peter appeared in the doorway a second later. “I heard my name.”

“Peter,” Charles said, looking back at where Erik was holding Kurt. “Would you mind looking after Kurt for the night? He seems to be comfortable with you.”

“Alright,” Peter said. “But I'm bringing him to you like the second he wakes up.”

“Perfectly fine,” Charles said.

Peter came into the room and took Kurt from Erik, settling him on his back again. “Oh, by the way, hi Dad.”

Erik smiled at him. “Hello Peter.”

“Thanks for the pendant. It's cool.” And with that, Peter and Kurt were gone.

Erik just laughed as Charles headed through the study doors. “You gave it to him, huh?”

“Just a few hours ago,” Charles said. “He put it on immediately. I think it will be quite awhile before he takes it off.”

Erik followed Charles to the elevator, and once they were inside, he reached down and took one of Charles's hands in his. “I'm sorry it took me so long to come back. I had a lot of work to do. I've learned a lot in the last five months, Charles. Things are happening that we had no idea about.”

The elevator stopped at the right floor and Charles and Erik exited it, heading towards Charles's room. “I sense this is very important information, Erik, so can we possibly discuss it when I'm a little more awake?”

“Absolutely,” Erik said, following Charles into his room. “What would you like to do now?”

Charles stopped the wheelchair as the door swung shut and locked behind Erik. “I'd like to curl up in your arms and sleep for awhile.”

Erik smiled. “Sounds good to me.”


	2. day two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got the names of jean's parents off of wiki. also, if you haven't heard of the tandem initiative, i suggest you check out marvel's latest x-men related viral stuff at [tandem initiative](http://www.tandeminitiative.com) and at [m-underground](http://www.m-underground.com). i know it's modern stuff, but the tandem initiative website said it had been in operation since 1971, and since this is set in 1974, i decided to use it.

“Mr. Xavier, your proposal is very intriguing,” said Elaine Grey, looking over at Charles. “But I am afraid you're not the only people who have had interest in Jean since the report aired.”

“May I ask who else has inquired?” Charles said, glancing over at Erik.

“The Tandem Initiative thinks Jean has a gift that they can analyze and better understand,” John Grey said. “They want to study her.”

“The Tandem Initiative does nothing but lie,” Erik said firmly, despite the fact that he had agreed to let Charles do all the talking. “The Tandem Initiative wants nothing more than to experiment on your daughter.”

_Erik, what are you doing?_

_Telling them the truth, Charles. Tandem is Trask. I'll explain later._

“I happen to agree with what Erik has said,” Charles said after a moment. “You cannot trust the Tandem Initiative, no matter how friendly a front they put on.”

“And how do I know that I can trust you, Mr. Xavier?” Elaine said. “I understand that Jean intrigues people, but really, all we want is someone who will take care of her.”

Erik turned his attention to the window and immediately stood up. “They're here.”

Charles turned to look but Erik was already leaving the room, heading for the door. “Erik!”

“It's the group from Texas, Charles!” Erik called out as he went outside, and Charles suddenly got very concerned.

“Mr. and Mrs. Grey, I completely understand your hesitation. But the group of people walking down your street right now are here to take your daughter from you, experiment upon her, and possibly kill her. They have done this with several mutants that I personally knew, and lord knows how many mutants I did not.” Charles watched as Erik started making a shield in front of the house with the cars on the street. “For your daughter's safety, we need to get her out of here now.”

“He's telling you the truth,” came the voice of a little girl, and they all turned to see Jean standing on the stairs, looking over the railing. “He's scared for me right now.”

“As I should be,” Charles said. “Tell me, Miss Grey, can you tell what the people outside are doing?”

“They're trying to get close enough to disable his powers,” Jean said as she walked down the stairs. “If they get close enough to us, they'll disable our powers too. And then they'll take us to Tandem, and we'll never leave.”

“Jean,” John said, looking over at his eight-year-old daughter. “Are you absolutely certain?”

“I am,” Jean said, staring out the window. “They've disabled his powers.”

Charles turned and looked out the window, seeing Erik slowly walk backwards towards the house. “But the cars...”

“I'm keeping them up,” Jean said, walking over to Charles. “He's frightened. You should try to calm him.”

_Erik, it's alright. We're going to get out of here safely._

_I'm not sure of that Charles. Not at all. I can't do anything. I don't know how the shield is staying up._

_That would be Jean, Erik. She's telekinetic as well as telepathic._

_Tandem would love her then._

_Tandem is not going to get their hands on her, Erik._

Charles took a deep breath, leaned so it looked like he was just resting his head against his hand, and started projecting words into the Greys' heads.

“I think he's right,” Elaine said, turning to John. “Jean is in danger.”

John stood up and looked out the window, nodding. “Yes, Elaine, I agree. Jean, go and pack your things. You and Mr. Xavier need to get out of here.”

Jean looked over at Charles, and Charles winked at her, causing her to smile. “My suitcase is already packed, Dad. It's at the top of the stairs. I wanted to go with Mr. Xavier more than Tandem anyway.”

“Good, Jean, go retrieve it,” John said, turning back to Charles. “There is paperwork for us to sign?”

Charles took the paperwork out of the folder in his lap and set it on the table in front of him. “I just need you to sign on the last page.”

“How much is the tuition?” Elaine asked, and Charles smiled. 

“I think we'll work that out later, if you don't mind,” Charles said. “We really must get Jean out of here to safety. We can communicate via telephone later.”

John looked at Elaine and nodded, and then she took the pen that Charles had in his hand and signed her name. She handed it to John and he did the same, and then Charles quickly put the paperwork back into his folder as Jean came down the stairs. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Grey. You've made the right decision.”

“Yes, I think we have,” John said, looking out the window again. “Are you sure you're going to be able to get to safety?”

“Yes, I think so,” Charles said, looking over at Jean. “Miss Grey, can you please push the shield back? That should drive the trackers down the street, and allow us to get into the car unharmed.”

“Sure,” Jean said, smiling as the shield of cars went flying down the street. “Like that?”

“That is perfect,” Charles said, smiling at her. “Say goodbye to your parents.”

Jean ran to Elaine and gave her a hug, then did the same with John. “Tell Sara I'll write to her, okay?”

Elaine nodded and pulled Jean into another hug. “You call me when you get to that school so I know you're safe, alright?”

“I will, I promise,” Jean said, walking back to Charles as the front door opened.

“Charles, I think we need to get out of here now,” came Erik's voice.

“I agree,” Charles said. “Are you ready, Miss Grey?”

Jean nodded and Charles started wheeling himself to the front door, Jean following along. “You know, Mr. Xavier, you can just call me Jean. Miss Grey sounds weird.”

Charles smiled as they made their way out of the house. “Alright, Jean, you can call me the Professor, then.”

Erik quickly levitated Charles's wheelchair and got him to the car a lot faster than he would have otherwise. Jean ran along after him, and Erik quickly got Charles out of the wheelchair and into the car. The wheelchair made its way into the trunk, and Jean jumped into the backseat with her suitcase. 

Erik climbed into the driver's seat and looked at the shield of cars. “There's only one way we're going to get out of here,” he said, looking over at Charles.

Charles just nodded. “Do it.”

Erik glanced back at Jean and then the car was levitating, going higher and higher until it was well above the shield of cars. Erik floated the car away from the cul-de-sac and the team of trackers, and when he thought it was safe, lowered it down to the ground. Then he started the car, stepped on the gas pedal, and got them the hell out of there, listening to the sound of cars crashing to the ground a few blocks behind them.

_Are the trackers going to do anything to Jean's family, Erik?_

_No, Charles. They're already following us. I'm going to take a scenic route home, try to lose them._

Charles smiled in the passenger's seat, and Erik glanced over at him. “Why are you smiling?”

“You said home.”

Jean giggled in the backseat. “I like you two.”

Erik glanced over at Charles again, and Charles just shook his head. _Jean, it's not nice to go looking in other people's heads._

“I didn't,” Jean said seriously. “I can't do that. Last time I tried to do that, I ended up in a coma.”

“A coma?” Charles asked, startled. “Tell me about that, Jean. That sounds serious.”

“My best friend was in a car accident,” Jean said. “I somehow merged my mind with hers. She died, I ended up in a coma. I woke up after awhile, but I had to work my way out of it, like a maze. I try not to use it because of that.”

Charles concentrated on Jean for a moment, and then he took a deep breath. “You're very powerful, Jean. And you have very little control.”

“That's what the Tandem people said. Of course, they said they'd teach me how to control it, but I knew better. I saw what they wanted to do to me. That's why I'm really glad you two showed up, and gave me another option.”

Charles smiled. “I'm glad we showed up too, Jean. The people that were there to take you are very dangerous.”

“I could tell,” Jean said. “They couldn't figure out how the cars were staying up because they knew that they'd disabled Magneto's powers.”

Erik coughed. “Magneto?”

“I saw you on TV,” Jean said. “You're lucky my parents didn't recognize you.”

Erik sighed and looked over at Charles. “She's smart.”

“She's very smart,” Charles said, turning to look back at her. “I hope that you believe me when I tell you that I want to teach you to control your powers.”

“I do,” Jean said, nodding. “And I can't wait to see this school. A school full of people like me? I might actually have friends that like me.”

Charles smiled at her. “Yes, Jean, I believe you will.”

Charles turned back around and glanced over at Erik, smiling at him. “You never know, Jean. You might make friendships that will last the rest of your life.”

“Like yours and Magneto's?”

“Yes, Jean,” Erik said. “Like mine and Charles's.”

Erik reached over and squeezed Charles's hand before putting his own back on the steering wheel. “Charles, keep an eye on those trackers for me? I'm going to start the scenic route.”

“I can do that,” Charles said, leaning back into the chair and closing his eyes. “I can do that.”


	3. day three.

Charles sat in the doorway of the television room, watching as Jean chatted animatedly with another student. He smiled watching the scene, but he could sense Jean's power growing, and it concerned him. He would need to do a full evaluation on her as soon as Dr. McIntyre returned from his vacation. 

“Professor?”

Charles jumped slightly and turned to see Alex standing there. “Alex, you startled me.”

“Sorry,” Alex said, staring into the television room. “So he's here again.”

“Yes, Alex, he's here again.” Charles looked up at him. “Is that going to be a problem? Because I'm really sick of it being a problem.”

Alex sighed heavily. “It was going to be.”

“But it's not now?”

“He saved the blue kid, and he helped save that little girl,” Alex said, and Charles turned to look at Jean again. “I didn't think he had that in him still.”

“There's a lot you don't know about him,” Charles said. “He is not the monster that you think he is.”

“Whatever. Peter said the blue kid is your nephew.”

“He has a name, Alex,” Charles said, shaking his head. “And yes, Kurt is my nephew.”

“So he's Mystique's kid or do you have another sibling I know nothing about?”

“No, Alex, I do not. And yes, he is definitely Raven's son.”

“You know any more than that yet?”

“Erik and I have not had much time to talk,” Charles sighed. “Between Kurt always wanting to be around Erik because he knows who Erik is and Erik can actually communicate with him, and the fact that Jean was with us for most of the day yesterday, we haven't had a lot of time where it was just the two of us.”

“He's in your study,” Alex said, still looking into the room. “Go talk to him. I'll watch them.”

“Thank you,” Charles said, wheeling away from the room and heading towards his study. He wheeled himself inside and Erik looked up, smiling. 

“I was wondering if Havok would actually tell you I was in here or not,” Erik said, making the door swing shut and lock behind Charles. “Nice to see he'll at least deliver messages to you.”

“I think his opinion of you has been swayed a little given your involvement in bringing Kurt and Jean here,” Charles said, coming to a stop in his customary place across the chess board. “Shall we play a game?”

“I think what we have to talk about is more important than a game,” Erik said, reaching for the scotch. “Not more important than the scotch, however.”

Charles watched as Erik poured them each a glass, and then accepted his with a nod. “What is the Tandem Initiative, Erik? I had never heard of it until we were at the Greys' house yesterday.”

“Mystique was tracked again, but by a different bunch of trackers than the ones from Texas,” Erik said, taking a sip of the scotch. “Same as before, they had a mutant that could disable other mutants' powers. After she finished knocking them out, she searched them, found this Tandem Initiative stuff. So she started digging. The Tandem Initiative has been in existence since 1971, and they have been looking for 'gifted' people to study so they can understand the genetic makeup of Homo Sapiens Superior.”

“That's what Trask called mutants,” Charles murmured. “Hank got a hold of some paperwork on the Sentinels program from a former CIA colleague. Nothing that will help us now, but I remember that.”

“Exactly. That's what first got her interested. She found Tandem's offices in D.C., got into them, and started looking around.” Erik paused a took a deep breath. “She found autopsy photos, Charles. Thousands of them. Far more than she found when she broke into Trask. Every single one of them was a mutant, and every single one of them had been experimented on, mutilated, tortured.”

Charles let his eyes close and had a brief moment of silence for all the mutants who had already died at the hands of Trask and Tandem, then opened them again and took a large drink of his scotch. “Thousands?”

“Thousands,” Erik confirmed. “Trask didn't want to be the face out there looking for mutants to 'study,' so they created this initiative to find the mutants they needed for them. I have no idea how long the trackers have been on the streets, but I'm willing to bet it's since the moment that Tandem opened its doors.”

Charles polished off his glass and reached for the bottle. “Are they the ones that got...”

Charles didn't need to finish his sentence for Erik to understand what he meant. “Yes. Mystique was particularly upset about them. Especially Azazel.”

“Azazel?” Charles asked, and Erik sighed.

“Fuck,” he said after a long sip of his scotch. “Raven and Azazel apparently fell in love after I'd been incarcerated. Kurt is the result of that relationship.”

Charles took all that in while he poured himself another glass of scotch. “And they abandoned him as an infant in Germany.”

“It was supposed to just be for a few weeks,” Erik said, polishing off his drink. “A few weeks turned into a few months, and then they both went on separate missions. They never saw each other again. By the time Raven went back to get Kurt, Kurt was gone from the orphanage where they had left him. She was surprised, because she didn't think anyone would take in a blue child with a tail who could teleport. Apparently he was born with his mutation, or it manifested quite quickly after his birth. She told me stories about going to check for him in his crib and finding it empty and he'd be on the sofa instead. 

“Anyway, the orphanage wouldn't tell her what had happened to him, and she couldn't find any paperwork on him when she went digging through the orphanage's records. Raven told me all of this over drinks one night. I asked her if she wanted to find him, and she said no, she figured the orphanage had killed him. I didn't believe that that would have happened, so I sent Mastermind around Germany looking for him in strange places, where someone that looked like him might have fit in. He found him in the circus in Munich. Got him out of there. He stayed around where I was based for a few weeks, and we talked a lot about how he was going to go someplace safe. Then I sent him to be brought to you. And he should have been here a week ago, but apparently someone decided to take a detour. That will be handled after I leave here. Kurt was exposed to something he never should have been because of it.”

Charles poured Erik another glass. “What was he exposed to?”

Erik grabbed the glass and downed it. “A tracking squad from Tandem. I sent two mutants to get him here safely. The trackers got one of them. The other barely escaped. Kurt was able to get away from them because of his ability. The mutant that got away got here as fast as he could after that. He was not supposed to wrap him in a blanket and leave him on your doorstep, but at least Peter found him before Kurt was there for too long. He could have teleported away and then he'd be out there on his own. At any rate, Raven has no idea that I've found him or that he's here. I haven't seen her in three months.”

“Well, the next time you see her, tell her I would like to have a conversation with her about my nephew,” Charles said bitterly before polishing off his glass. “She could have brought him here.”

Erik stared at Charles for a moment. “Charles, do yourself a favor and remember what you were like eight years ago for a moment please?”

“I was not as bad off as I was when you first came back here,” Charles defended. “Yes, I was paralyzed, and yes, I was drinking because of that, but the school was open, I was teaching classes and recruiting students and teachers. I was much more functional than I would become after Vietnam took everyone away.”

“Still, Charles, there is no way you could have cared for an eight-month-old in any capacity at that time,” Erik said.

“That's what nannies are for, Erik.”

“That's what mothers are for, Charles.”

“Yes, well, I had a mother who wasn't very interested in being a mother, so I had a nanny and I turned out perfectly fine,” Charles said seriously, pouring himself and Erik another drink. “Enough of this. We're clearly not going to agree, because we come from two completely different backgrounds. What do we do about Tandem?”

“I don't know,” Erik said, taking his refilled glass and sipping at it. “Mystique says she's still monitoring Stryker and that she's got someone on the inside, but she won't tell me any more than that. Tandem is rounding up the mutants for Stryker's program, and God knows how many teams of trackers they have out there. They definitely aren't keeping the search just to America either. Mystique said she found some files about mutants from all over the world.”

Charles took a long sip. “Have you had to use your gun?”

Erik shook his head, and Charles immediately felt relieved. “No, I haven't. But that doesn't mean I'm not glad I have it.”

They both looked up when there was a knock on the door. “Charles, I need to speak with you,” came Hank's voice.

Charles looked over at Erik, and Erik unlocked the door and swung it open. “Come in, Hank.”

Hank walked in and stopped when he saw Erik sitting there, then decided it didn't matter and walked over to Charles. “I found this in _The New York Times_. Strange weather patterns over the city that meteorologists can't explain? Sounds like a mutant to me.”

Charles took the paper from Hank and scanned through the article. “Raining in parts of the city, snowing in others. Snowing? It's June. I think you're right, Hank. This sounds like a mutant with little or no control.”

“May I suggest you use Cerebro and find them?” Erik said, making Charles look at him. “We won't be the only ones who have seen that article.”

Charles just nodded. “You're right. I'll head to Cerebro now. You get your stuff ready? We'll stay the night there tonight. It's too late to go there and drive back tonight.”

“Got it,” Erik said, standing up and walking out of the room. 

Charles started towards the door, Hank following behind him. “Thank you, Hank. Now, will you and Alex please watch over the children? Erik and I can handle the mutant.”

“I don't like him helping you, Charles,” Hank said as they left the study. “I understand that he was very helpful when it came to Jean, but you cannot count on him all the time.”

“I know that,” Charles said as he headed for the elevator. “But while he is here, I am going to use him. When he leaves, I will take you or Alex along. But right now, he knows what we're up against better than you two do. It's safer with him.”

Hank stood there as Charles wheeled himself into the elevator. “I don't see how anything is safer with Magneto around, but I will trust your judgment.”

“Thank you, Hank. Remember the children's bedtime, please. And do not let Alex let them stay up past it,” Charles said as the elevator doors closed.


	4. day four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um, this is definitely not the storm origin story from the comics. if i had kept the timeline, she would have been 24 at the time of writing, and that doesn't fit with movieverse at all. the only thing i kept is that she was born in harlem and her parents died while she was young. the rest is all my own imagination.

Erik looked around the alley they were in before turning to Charles. “You're absolutely certain that this is where the coordinates were for?”

“Positive,” Charles said, wheeling himself further down it. “Hello? My name is Charles Xavier. There's no need to be afraid. I just want to talk to you.”

“Charles, there's no one here.”

“Shush, Erik,” Charles said, heading towards the trash cans near the back of the alley. “You can come out. I promise you, everything is alright.”

Charles came to a stop in front of a cardboard box next to the trash cans and looked back at Erik, motioning to it. Erik started walking down the alley as the box moved just a fraction, and Charles smiled. “I know that you're in there, Ororo.”

A pair of eyes appeared through a crack in the top of the box. “How do you know my name?”

“My name is Charles Xavier,” he said. “And I am like you, except instead of influencing the weather, I can read your mind.”

Erik came to a stop next to Charles as the top flaps of the cardboard box opened and a beautiful child with dark skin, white hair, and blue eyes emerged. Erik figured she couldn't have been more than nine or ten, and the clothes she was wearing made it clear that she'd been on the streets for some time.

“Hello, Ororo,” Charles said, smiling at her. “I am Charles, and this is my friend Erik.”

Ororo looked over at Erik. “Do you read minds too?”

“No,” Erik said, shaking his head. “I do this.”

He barely moved his hand and suddenly the trash cans next to the cardboard box were levitating off the ground, prompting Ororo to gasp and giggle. Charles flashed Erik a smile as he set the trash cans back down. 

“Ororo, I understand that you had some problems with controlling the weather the other day.”

She dropped her head down. “I just wanted it to rain. I was so hot. I wanted to cool down. I reached up to block the sun from my eyes and then suddenly there were clouds and it was pouring and I don't know what happened other than the fact that I made it happen.”

They all jumped as a noise echoed down the alley, and Erik glanced at Charles before starting to walk to the front of the alley, floating the lids of the trash cans along with him in case he needed them. He was well aware of the fact that they were sitting ducks in that alley, and he really hoped Charles wrapped up this recruitment quickly.

Charles watched him for a moment before turning to Ororo. “Has anything like that ever happened to you before?”

She shook her head. “A couple of times, but nothing quite like that.”

“I see,” Charles said. “I am here because there was an article in the newspaper about the strange weather. Apparently there were places in the city where it was snowing.”

“Snowing?” Ororo looked confused. “I made it snow in summer?”

“Apparently so,” Charles said, glancing back at where Erik had made the two lids into a makeshift metal barrier with himself on one side and Charles and Ororo on the other. “Erik.”

“Precaution,” came Erik's voice. “I feel like they're near.”

Charles took that for the hint it was and turned back to Ororo. “Ororo, there is a group of people looking for you right now. They want to take you far away from here and do terrible things to you. I want to take you to my school for children like you. It's just upstate, and you'll be around other children who can do special things like you can. But most importantly, you'll be safe there.”

Ororo stared at him for a moment before ducking back down into the cardboard box, and Charles sighed. “Ororo, please don't hide.”

“I'm not,” Ororo said, coming back up with a very dirty looking teddy bear in her hands. “He comes with me.”

Charles smiled and nodded. “Well of course. I would never ask you to part with Oliver.”

Ororo smiled. “You knew his name!”

“Like I said, I can read your mind,” Charles said, jumping when he heard something hit the metal barrier. “Erik!”

“Stay there!” Erik yelled back, and Charles immediately realized that he couldn't move his wheelchair.

“Erik!”

“Not now, Charles!” Erik yelled again, and then the sound of something big hitting the metal barrier echoed through the alley.

Ororo looked at Charles with fear, and Charles reached for her. “Come here, my dear. Sit in my lap. It will all be alright. Erik knows what he's doing. I think.”

Ororo scrambled up into Charles's lap, and he wrapped a comforting arm around her. “What's he doing?”

Charles allowed himself to look into Erik's mind for a moment, and then he smiled at the girl. “Protecting us.”

_Erik, please tell me that you're alright._

_Not now, Charles. Let me concentrate._

Ororo nodded and hugged the bear close to her as the sound of more things hitting the metal barrier echoed through the alley. Minutes passed, but then the metal barrier was torn down, and Erik was standing there, the bodies of a Tandem tracking team strewn about the alley.

“We need to get out of here now,” Erik said, levitating Charles's wheelchair to the front of the alley.

“Erik,” Charles started, but Erik just shook his head. 

“Go to the car.”

“Erik, don't,” Charles said, but Erik forced the wheelchair to move down the block to where the car was waiting. 

Charles took a deep breath and held Ororo to him, closing his eyes and creating a soundproof bubble around them. A few minutes later, Erik came walking back to the car, tucking something underneath his shirt behind his back. Charles removed the soundproof bubble and Erik just looked at him, apologies in his eyes.

_I had to._

_I know._

“Erik, will you help Ororo into the backseat please?” Charles said, trying to maintain a calm voice. 

Erik just nodded and helped the young girl into the car, making sure she was buckled in before closing the door and walking to Charles. “Ready?”

“As I'll ever be,” Charles responded, and Erik was lifting him up and helping him into the car. The wheelchair was quickly put away, and then Erik got behind the wheel and got them the hell out of there.

They were just exiting Harlem when Charles realized that Erik's hands were shaking. He reached out and took one into his hand, rubbing small circles into the top of it with his thumb. “It's alright, Erik.”

Erik swallowed hard, and glanced over at him, and Charles read the myriad of emotions in his eyes. 

_I'm not angry with you, Erik._

_They were going to kill her, Charles. They had kill orders on them._

_Kill orders?_

_They're in my pocket. I'll show you when we get back to the mansion._

Charles just nodded and squeezed Erik's hand, turning to look at Ororo in the backseat. “Ororo, may I ask why you were living in that box?”

“Because I had nowhere else to live,” she said, clutching onto the bear.

“Why did you have nowhere else to live?”

Ororo was silent for a few moments, then she looked up at Charles with tears in her eyes. “We were in a car, and there was an accident, and then there was a fire. I crawled out through a window, but Mama and Daddy, they didn't answer when I tried to talk to them. Police and ambulances came, and they took Mama and Daddy away, and then they took me to an office. 

“I didn't have any other family, you see, it was just Mama, Daddy, and me. So they said I was going to go live with this other family. But the first day there, the man who said I could call him Daddy got angry and hit me, so I ran away. And I had nowhere to go, so I found that box and decided I would live in it.”

“I'm so sorry to hear that.” Charles felt his heart ache for this poor child. “How did you get food and water?”

Ororo hung her head. “I knew it was wrong, but I was so hungry and thirsty that I decided I had to do it. I'm small, so adults usually don't see me, so I would go to the market and steal stuff to eat and drink. I understand if you want to turn me in to the police, but I only did it because I was so hungry.”

Charles took in a deep breath. “Oh, Ororo, dear, no one is going to turn you into the police. The place where we're taking you, the school I mentioned, it has a fully stocked kitchen that you can go to any time you're hungry. You never have to be hungry again.”

Ororo looked up at him and Charles smiled. “Promise?”

“I promise, Ororo. We'll also get you some clothes that aren't so dirty, and, if you'd like, we can even take Oliver and get him all cleaned up.”

Ororo smiled at him. “Okay.”

Charles turned back around and glanced over at Erik. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Erik asked, his voice hollow.

Charles reached over and squeezed his hand. “Being so protective.”

Erik glanced over at him and saw the sincerity in Charles's eyes. “For you, I would do anything.”

“I know,” Charles said softly. “I know.”

Erik felt Charles squeeze his hand once more before letting go of it, and he looked at Ororo in the rearview mirror. “Ororo, would you like to listen to the radio? We've got a little bit of a drive ahead of us.”

Ororo grinned. “I love music! Somebody above my box used to play music every day. I know lots of songs.”

“Then I think the radio sounds like a good idea,” Erik said, reaching to turn it on. He caught Charles's gaze and Charles grinned at him.

_You're good with young children, Erik._

_I'm really not._

_You will make a great father to a small child someday, Erik._

Erik looked over at Charles in alarm. _Unless you have a mutation you're not telling me about, I don't see that happening, Charles._

Charles started laughing. “Don't worry Erik. I promise you I can't do that.”

Erik sighed in relief. “Thank God.”


	5. day five.

Charles could not believe the paper he had in his hands. It was one of the ones Erik had taken off the Tandem squad the day before, and reading it brought tears to his eyes. “They really were going to kill her.”

“They decided she was too dangerous to bring in,” Erik murmured, shifting around in bed. “How can a nine-year-old girl be too dangerous even for Tandem?”

“They have all of her information, Erik. Her name, her birthdate, her parents' names, even the coordinates of her box. How could they possibly have all that?”

Erik wrapped an arm around Charles's waist and sighed. “Maybe they have a telepath.”

Charles looked over at Erik. “I don't think this is the work of a telepath, Erik. A telepath wouldn't be able to get coordinates without something like Cerebro. Hank has assured me many times that before he left Division X headquarters for good, he took all of the Cerebro plans with him. That is technology that the CIA, and therefore anyone else, does not have. Besides, I would have felt the telepath.”

“You think you would have felt a telepath in Harlem all the way here in the mansion.” Erik laughed slightly. “Charles, I know you're powerful, but...”

“I know the exact date you broke Emma out of the CIA prison. I know the exact date Trask got his hands on her in D.C. because I could feel her, Erik. She was a telepath, yes, but she was nowhere near as powerful as I am. If they were using a telepath, I would feel it.”

“You didn't feel Jean,” Erik said, and Charles shook his head. 

“I did,” Charles said, sighing. “But it was so faint I thought she must be thousands of miles away from me. That's because she blocked it herself. She wasn't using her telepathy except on a very basic level. Her telekinesis on the other hand, that she apparently used all the time.”

Erik pulled Charles closer to him and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I suppose I've underestimated you then.”

“Perhaps you have,” Charles said, looking over at him. “Erik, how many other mutants are they deeming dangerous and are just straight out killing? How far does this go?”

“I don't think we're going to get any answers on that unless Mystique decides to pay you a visit,” Erik murmured. “She's the one who got into Tandem. She's the one who knows more than any of us.”

“The last place in the world she's going to want to go is here if she finds out her son is here,” Charles said, and Erik pressed another kiss to his shoulder.

“She thinks Kurt is dead.”

“And I will be having a discussion about that with her at some point.”

“Charles.”

“Erik.”

“If you keep lecturing her like a little girl, she really is never going to come back.”

Charles sighed and let his head fall back against the pillow. “I know. But she just abandoned him in an orphanage, Erik. My mother was horrible, don't get me wrong, but she never took me to an orphanage.”

“Charles, I don't think comparing Sharon and Raven is a good idea,” Erik said softly. “Raven and Azazel thought he would be safer in that orphanage than he would be with them. And quite frankly, I agree with them. He's not the first mutant child that's ever ended up in an orphanage and I'm sure he won't be the last. No matter how hard you try, Charles, you're not going to be able to save every mutant child.”

“I know,” Charles murmured. “I just keep thinking about what we would have found if we'd arrived at Ororo's box fifteen minutes later.”

Erik took the paper out of Charles's hand and set it on the bedside table before sliding on top of him and kissing him softly. “But we didn't, Charles. We didn't. And now she has a whole mansion full of people to have as friends. I noticed her and Jean talking a lot in the television room earlier.”

Charles let Erik kiss him again. “When were you in the television room? I thought we had an agreement that you would stay away from the children.”

“I was looking for Peter,” Erik said, bending down to kiss Charles again. “I thought he might be in there. Instead, the two little girls we just saved caught my eye. And then Alex actually talked to me.”

Charles smiled. “What did you and Alex talk about?”

“He basically said, I don't know what's happening that the Professor needs your help so much for, but whatever it is, I'm glad you're around to give it to him. And then Peter showed up.”

Charles reached up and pulled Erik down into a longer kiss. “Peter ruins a lot of things by showing up,” he murmured against Erik's lips. “It's like he plans it.”

Erik laughed. “I don't think he planned last night, Charles. I think he was seriously concerned about Kurt.”

“I know,” Charles sighed. “But I had plans for you that had to be interrupted.”

“Plans? Is that what we're calling it now?” Erik laughed some more. “Have we not had enough sex since I've been here, Charles? Because practically every moment that we have spent not rescuing a child or with Peter and Kurt has been spent in this very bed.”

“You know that we'll never have enough of each other,” Charles said seriously. “Do you really even have to ask if we've not had enough sex?”

“Well, shall we make plans to have some right now then?” Erik said, bending down and capturing Charles's lips in a bruising kiss. 

Charles moaned into the kiss and pulled Erik closer, letting his hands drift down Erik's back to grab the edge of his shirt. Charles began to work it upwards, and he was about to shove Erik away to pull it over his head when there was rapid knocking at his door. Charles let go and dropped his head back to the pillow, groaning. “What, Peter?”

“Um, Mystique's here, and she saw Kurt, and now she's crying in the entry and Kurt's disappeared and I'm gonna go find him so you two deal with her, okay?”

Erik moved himself off of Charles while Charles reached for the lamp. Once the light was on, Erik ran a hand through his hair and climbed out of the bed. “I'll go first?”

“Alright,” Charles said, slowly moving himself into a seated position. “Tell her I'll be along in a few minutes.”

Erik nodded and slipped out of the room, bypassing the elevator to head down the stairs. He jogged down them to find Raven sitting on the bottom step, sobbing into her hands. “Mystique.”

She looked up at Erik through tear-filled eyes. “How?”

Erik sat down next to her and pulled her into an embrace. “I couldn't believe that an orphanage would be that cruel. I sent Mastermind looking for him. He found him in a circus in Munich. I had him brought to me, and then I had him brought to Charles. I knew Charles would look after him.”

Raven buried her face in Erik's neck and sobbed some more. “He...looks...so...much...like...Azazel,” she got out in between sobs, and Erik ran a comforting hand up and down her back.

“I know,” he soothed. “It was one of the first things I noticed about him.”

Raven was still sobbing into Erik's neck when Charles came wheeling into the entry a few minutes later. Erik motioned for him to be quiet, and Charles took one look at Raven before all his anger with her for abandoning her child went out the window. 

“Charles is here,” Erik said a few minutes later, and Raven pulled away to see Charles sitting there, watching her with pain in his eyes.

“Oh, my girl,” Charles said softly, and Raven reached up, trying to stop her tears.

“I'm not your girl.”

“You will always be my girl,” Charles said as Raven sniffled next to Erik. “And Kurt will always be my nephew. I shall cherish you both.”

Raven wiped at her eyes again, laughing hollowly. “Don't patronize me, Charles. It's the last thing I need right now.”

“I'm not patronizing you,” Charles said, but Erik shook his head to stop him from saying any more.

“Mystique, you know Charles is going to keep him safe.”

Raven looked over at Erik. “Were you even going to tell me?”

“Of course I was,” Erik said. “First thing out of my mouth the next time I saw you. I swear.”

Raven just nodded. A few moments later, she looked over at Charles. “You'll keep him safe?”

“As safe as I can,” Charles said sincerely. “I swear to you, Raven, I will take care of him.”

“Don't call me that,” Raven insisted. “I no longer answer to my slave name.”

“Slave name?” Charles was about to start in on that before another shake of the head from Erik stopped him. “It's nearly three o'clock in the morning. Shall we all head to bed and convene in my study tomorrow to talk about this further?”

“I think that's probably a good idea,” Erik said as Peter appeared in the entry, Kurt sound asleep on his back.

“I got him to fall asleep by running around the mansion again,” Peter said. “He likes going fast, apparently.”

Erik smiled at him as Charles turned towards him. “Perhaps you'd like to spend the night with Kurt, Raven?”

“What did I say about that name, Charles?” Raven said, standing up and walking over to Peter. “Give me my son.”

Peter quickly disentangled himself from Kurt's grasp and handed the sleeping child over to Raven.

“Is my room still the same?”

“Same as it always will be,” Charles said, his sentence not finished before Raven was walking out of the room, cuddling Kurt to her. He turned to Erik once she was gone. “Slave name?”

“I did not put that idea in her head, so don't ask me about it,” Erik said, holding up his hands. “I do not control what goes on in Mystique's life.”

“I know,” Charles said softly. “I just...she's Raven, Erik. She will always be Raven.”

“No, Charles. She's Mystique. And she'll always be Mystique.”

Peter looked between the two of them before deciding that this was too much for him. “Alright, I don't need to know this stuff, so bye.” And then he disappeared.

Erik turned to Charles and stood up, heading towards the elevator. “Come on Charles. We'll deal with everything in the morning. For now, we have plans.”

“Oh alright.” Charles smiled as he followed Erik. “And yes, I believe we do.”


	6. day six.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a reminder, the german is from google translate.

Charles wheeled himself into the kitchen to find Raven and Kurt in there, but he was more surprised by the German rolling off Raven's tongue than he was by their appearance there. “Since when do you speak German?”

Raven looked up and immediately her gaze grew colder. “Since I lived in Germany for two years.”

“Two years?” Charles wheeled himself to the refrigerator and opened it. “What were you doing in Germany for two years?”

“Things I'm not going to tell you about,” Raven said, turning back to Kurt. “Wissen sie wer das ist?”

“Es ist Onkel Charles,” Kurt replied, looking over at him. “Uncle Charles. Say English is Uncle.”

Raven smiled at him. “Yes, the English version is Uncle. Freust du dich auf Englisch zu lernen?”

“You know, it would be polite to let those of us in the room that don't speak fluent German know what you're saying,” Charles said, wheeling himself over to the table with a bowl, a box of cereal, and a thing of milk.

Raven sighed heavily. “I asked him if he was looking forward to learning English. Maybe you should learn some more German. Lord knows you spent enough time with Erik. You should be fluent right now.”

“I am,” Charles said, pouring the cereal into the bowl. “Just in words that an eight-year-old shouldn't be saying.”

Raven just rolled her eyes. “Erik would teach you how to curse in German. Of course he would.”

“I would demonstrate my skill but there are tender ears in the room,” Charles said, substituting the cereal for the milk. “How long are you staying?”

“I was planning on leaving this morning,” Raven said, turning her attention back to Kurt. “Then I saw him.”

“Well, you are welcome here for as long as you would like to stay,” Charles said, setting the milk down and reaching for a spoon. “As it's summer, there are no classes going on, though there are a number of students here who either are not welcome at home or have nowhere else to go. I'd like to start teaching Kurt English soon.”

“He'll learn it when it's ready,” Raven said, reaching over and brushing a lock of hair behind Kurt's ear. “If he stays here.”

Charles stopped with a spoonful of cereal halfway to his mouth, returning it to the bowl before looking over at Raven. “What do you mean 'if he stays here?'”

“Exactly that,” Raven said icily. “I don't know if I want you raising my son.”

“Raven.”

“I told you I don't answer to my slave name.”

“I will leave the discussion about this slave name business for another time,” Charles said, looking over at her. “Why wouldn't you want me to raise your son?”

“Because,” Raven said bitterly. “You'll fill his head with the same sort of ridiculous unattainable ideals that you filled my head with.”

“I shared my opinion, Raven,” Charles said, ignoring the noise she made at the mention of her name. “It was an opinion you also shared until right before Cuba, if I'm not mistaken. And I'm not angry with you for your change of opinion, I want you to know that. I just wish that it didn't mean you cut yourself completely out of my life.”

“It's necessary.”

“Erik somehow still finds a way to visit,” Charles murmured.

“Erik is an idiot,” Raven said seriously. “He thinks he has a clue about what's going on, and he hasn't even scratched the surface. He needs to stop relying on me for information, and go out there and get it himself. I'm not his fucking spy.”

“Language, Raven,” Charles admonished. “Your son is sitting next to you.”

“Yes, and he has absolutely no idea what we're saying,” Raven pointed out. “Look, Charles, it's very long and very complicated, but I can't come home. I'm never coming home. This isn't my home anymore. Out there, protecting mutants, gaining information, taking care of targets. That's my home now.”

Charles swallowed hard. “You've killed, haven't you?”

Raven fell silent, and that told Charles everything he needed to know. “I understand. I just wish you didn't have to resort to taking another person's life to accomplish what you need to accomplish.”

“And I suppose you're perfectly fine with what Erik did to that Tandem tracking squad in Harlem?”

“How do you know about that?”

“A mass murder of seven people all working for the Tandem Initiative? That made the news, Charles,” Raven said, smiling when Kurt disappeared and reappeared in front of the refrigerator. “You're just lucky that they have no witnesses to put Erik and you at the scene.”

Charles sighed with relief, then reached for his spoon again. “I don't approve of the act of taking someone else's life. However, I understand Erik's actions and the meaning behind them.”

“So why can't you understand mine?”

Charles put the spoon down and shoved the bowl away from him, convinced that the cereal would be too soggy to eat now. “Apparently I sent a man fifty years back in time to stop you from killing Bolivar Trask and beginning a long trail of murders. I was supposed to have saved you from that.”

“And there's the ridiculous opinions and ideals again,” Raven sighed. “Charles, you may have changed history and gotten the Sentinel program canceled, but I'm afraid you've created something much, much worse instead. And yes, killing these trackers is necessary. If they don't get me, they'll get someone else. And if you can understand Erik's motive, then you damn well should be able to understand mine.”

Charles started when Kurt suddenly appeared in his lap, and he smiled at his nephew. “Guten morgen, Kurt.”

“Good morning?” Kurt said slowly and questioningly. 

Charles just nodded. “That's right. Good morning.”

Kurt gave him a toothy grin and then disappeared, reappearing next to Raven. “Ich mag ihn.”

Raven sighed and reached for Kurt, pulling him close to her. “You like him. I suppose that's alright.”

“You suppose? He's my nephew, Raven,” Charles said, looking over at them. “You're not going to keep me out of my nephew's life, are you?”

“I don't know what I'm going to do,” Raven said, standing up and taking Kurt by the hand. “I know that I'm ending this conversation now. I may be back later. I may not be.”

Charles barely got his wheelchair turned around before Raven and Kurt left the kitchen, and he couldn't do anything to stop them. Charles banged his hand against the armrest of his wheelchair and then turned back to his soggy breakfast. He took a spoonful and shoved it into his mouth, cringing at how disgusting it was.

“Good morning,” came the sound of Erik's voice, and Charles smiled at him.

“Good morning. Make me breakfast?”

Erik glanced over at him. “And what happened to your cereal?”

“Soggy.”

“How'd it get soggy?”

“Talking with Raven.”

“Mystique,” Erik said as he opened the refrigerator. “I know you hate it, Charles, but if you want to have an actual conversation with her, you need to call her Mystique.”

Charles sighed heavily. “She said she's not sure she's going to let me raise her son. She doesn't want me to fill his head with the unattainable ideals that I apparently filled her head with.”

“I'd comment on that, but I don't want an argument,” Erik said, taking eggs out of the refrigerator and moving over to the stove. “And Kurt is her child, Charles. She can do what she wants with him.”

“I know, but I want him to be here. At least then I'll know he's safe,” Charles said. “Is that really too much to ask, especially with these Tandem people seemingly everywhere? I still have no theories on how they knew exactly where to find Ororo, and that's a massive problem because if they can get mutants' locations down to exact coordinates, then they could get anyone.”

“I still say they send out scouts.”

“No,” Charles said, shaking his head. “It's more technological than that.”

Erik left the eggs frying on the stove and got two plates out of the cabinet. “Maybe talk to Hank about it?”

“I think I'm going to have to,” Charles said, sighing heavily. “I've kept him and Alex in the dark about a lot of this. I'm going to have to start confessing the truth.”

“Why didn't you tell them?”

“Because I thought they'd be safer if they didn't know,” Charles murmured. “Maybe Raven's right. Maybe I do have unattainable ideals when it comes to humanity and mutanity. But even knowing that, it doesn't make me want to change the way I think and act.”

“So no running away with me then?” Erik asked playfully, prompting a laugh from Charles.

“Only if we go to Vegas and make it official, darling,” Charles responded.

Erik laughed heartily. “Like that will ever be possible.”

“Never say never, Erik,” Charles said as Erik put their eggs on the plates. “But you're probably right about that one.”

“Well, at least you acknowledge I'm right about something,” Erik said, walking over to the table and setting a plate in front of Charles. “You talk to Hank and Alex. I'll work on Mystique.”

Charles nodded. “Try to get the actual story about Kurt out of her, by the way. I could tell the one she told you was complete bullshit when I was talking to her earlier.”

Erik stared at Charles for a few moments before sitting down next to him. “You're saying she's lying.”

“I know her better than anyone,” Charles said. “I know when she's lying. That story she told you was completely fabricated.”

“Why didn't you just get the truth out of her mind?” Erik asked softly.

“Because I can only venture so far into her mind before she realizes I'm there,” Charles said, picking up his fork. “And I highly doubt she would welcome me into her mind at the moment. She barely wants to recognize that I'm here.”

Erik reached out and squeezed Charles's hand. “I'll work on her, but I can make no promises.”

Charles just nodded. “I know. Thank you, my friend.”

Erik just smiled at him before turning back to his breakfast.


	7. day seven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, german from google translate.

“That was quite the show in the entry the other night.”

Raven looked up from where she was watching Kurt sleep to find Erik in her doorway. “Show?”

“You lied to me,” Erik said, leaning against the frame. “The story you fed me about him was all bullshit.”

“Charles tell you that?”

“Of course. You had to know that he'd be able to tell.”

“Are you really that surprised?”

“No,” Erik said, shaking his head. “Not surprised at all really. The thing you are the best at is lying.”

“Because you're so truthful,” Raven said bitterly.

“I am with those I trust,” Erik said, walking into the room and sitting down in a chair. “I know better than to trust you.”

Raven stood up and walked over to where Erik was, sitting down in the chair across from him. “So we're finally going to have this discussion, are we?”

“What's there to discuss? I don't trust you; you don't trust me. I think it's fairly simple.”

Raven sighed and leaned back into the chair. “I'm not your personal spy.”

“I never said you were.”

“I see no need to share all the information I've gathered with you.”

“Of course you don't,” Erik said, leaning forward. “Listen, _Raven_ , we can have a relationship like this. We can be distrustful, we can hold things back, we can lie to one another. But don't you dare do that to Charles. He loves you more than anything. You're the only family he's got, and he was thrilled to find out he had a nephew that he can dote upon. And yes, I had him sent here, and yes, I wasn't going to tell you about it, because it's better for him to be here than in a fucking circus in Munich!”

“Don't lecture me about Charles,” Raven snapped. “And don't call me by my slave name. And what the hell did you expect me to do after Azazel abandoned the two of us, keep the kid with me? I took him to a place where he could hide from the humans that would have killed him.”

“I will call you by whatever name I choose,” Erik said firmly. “And I will lecture you about Charles if I want to, and you should consider yourself lucky that he's even willing to speak to you after everything you've done. But I'm telling you right now, I'm not letting you take him away from here. Lord knows what you'd do with him after this. Do you even know what they had him doing in that circus?”

“He told me!” Raven exclaimed. “And why do you fucking care so much about my relationship with Charles? You don't know the first thing about family!”

Erik's eyes darkened, and all the metal in the room started to shake. “I had a family, Raven. I watched them be marched into a concentration camp. I watched my mother be shot and killed right in front of me. Do not tell me I don't know about family.”

“Warum ist alles schütteln? Ich habe angst,” came Kurt's voice, and Raven shot Erik a look.

“You're scaring him.”

“I don't give a fuck,” Erik spit out, but he stopped the shaking. “Never tell me I don't know about family, Raven. Next time you'll find some metal imbedded in your head.”

Raven stared him down. “You think you're so scary, Erik. You're not scary at all. Look how easily those Tandem trackers would have gotten you if I wasn't there in Texas. You'd be dead by now.”

“Maybe,” Erik said, refusing to break their eye contact. “But you were there, and you did save me, and I have thanked you for that, in more ways than one.”

“You call that thanking me?” Raven laughed. “I'd call that paying me off.”

“You call it whatever you want,” Erik said firmly. “I thanked you. Now I can take care of Tandem trackers myself.”

“And how many of them are you going to kill before they realize it's you?” Raven asked. “How many bodies have to be lying in the streets before someone notices you at the scene of the crime? You'll be caught in no time.”

“I know how to evade police,” Erik said firmly. “Dallas was an exception. I have been evading international authorities practically since the moment I came out of that concentration camp.”

Raven laughed. “That was before the whole world had your picture, Erik. That was before the whole world knew your name.”

“Pictures and names don't change anything if you know what to do,” Erik said, leaning back in his chair. “I believe I taught you that.”

“You taught me a lot,” Raven said. “But you didn't teach me everything.”

“Never said I did,” Erik murmured. “Tell Charles the truth and let him raise his nephew. You certainly don't want anything to do with him.”

“I can't tell him that,” Raven said. “It'll just set off another lecture, and I've been lectured by Charles my entire life. I'm not getting lectured by him anymore. Besides, he'll just try and implant more of those unattainable ideals in my head.”

“He believes in those unattainable ideals, and maybe he's right to.”

Raven just laughed. “He's starting to get to you. You're getting soft.”

“Oh no, trust me, he's not,” Erik said, shaking his head. “But what good have we done? Very little. He's out there saving mutant kids. We're out there doing practically nothing.”

“Killing the President was practically nothing?” 

“I didn't kill the President,” Erik said firmly. “Trying to kill Trask was something?”

“It would have accomplished a lot.”

“It would have sent us down a path that would lead to the destruction of mutants,” Erik said. “Is that what you wanted to accomplish?”

“Trask has us heading down that path even without me murdering him,” Raven spit out. “You have no idea what Stryker's up to.”

“No, I don't,” Erik said. “And I don't expect you to tell me either. But when you need help stopping it? You'll come crawling to me. I'm the one with a network of mutants ready to mobilize at my command. I'm the one who could have armies at a moment's notice. You're the lone ranger, out there all on your own. You might have someone on the inside, or you might not, I haven't decided yet if I'm going to believe that. But you ever need anything to do? You're going to come to me. And you can't tell me you won't.”

“Maybe I'll come crawling to Charles.”

“Not if you alienate him by continuing to lie to him,” Erik said. “Not if you take his nephew away from him when you don't even want the kid to begin with. What are you going to do with the kid anyway? Find another circus for him?”

Raven glared at him. “He was safe there.”

“He was a mockery of his race! He was an exhibit for humans to stare at and laugh at! If you call that safe, Raven, then we have two very different definitions of safe.”

“Get the fuck out of my room,” Raven practically growled. “This conversation is over.”

“Gladly,” Erik said, standing up. “But I'm going to tell you once more. Cut Charles out of your life at your peril. He's a good man to have on your side, even if you disagree with him.”

“Don't you dare tell me what to do about Charles. I said, get the fuck out.”

“It's your loss, Raven,” Erik said as he walked out the door. “Make sure you don't make a big mistake.”


	8. day eight.

Charles awoke suddenly, momentarily confused until he realized what had woken him. Careful not to wake Erik, he maneuvered his way into his wheelchair and left the room. He got to the elevator as quickly as he could, and made it to the entry way just in time. “Raven.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I do not answer to my slave name?” Her voice was angry and bitter, and even though she was the same blonde woman he'd grown up with, Charles was struck by how he didn't recognize her anymore. 

_What has happened to you, my girl, to make you so cynical and cold?_

“Where are you going?” he asked instead. “It's three-thirty in the morning.”

“I'm leaving,” Raven said, turning to face him. “And you are not talking me out of it.”

“I wasn't going to,” Charles said honestly. “Why are you leaving in the middle of the night? Could you not wait a few hours more and at least leave in daylight?”

“I have to be gone before he wakes up,” Raven said, reaching down to pick up her suitcase. “It's better that way.”

“Erik is not angry with you,” Charles said.

“I wasn't talking about Erik.”

Charles swallowed hard. “So you are going to abandon him again?”

“I'm not abandoning him. I'm leaving him in your care,” Raven said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “That's what you wanted, isn't it?”

“I want my nephew to have his mother in his life.”

“I'm no more of a mother to him than Sharon was to you,” Raven said, shaking her head. “The only difference is that I'm gone whereas Sharon was here and a shell of the person you once knew. He doesn't know me, Charles. He won't even remember me after awhile. And that's the way I want it.”

“What happened to the little girl who wanted to grow up, fall in love, and have a family?” Charles wondered. “Has being a mutant become more important than all of that?”

“I cannot do what I need to do and be a doting mother, Charles. I cannot.” Raven set her suitcase down and sighed. “I had love. I had a family. And then I had reality, because he took off because he couldn't handle the responsibilities of a wife and a child. I took that kid to a place where I thought he'd be safe, and I took off after him. I didn't want him to see reason; I wanted him to experience death. Trask got to him before I could. But he would have been dead by now either way.”

“May I ask you a question?” Charles said after a minute.

“If you must.”

“If you hadn't stumbled in here that night when you were a child, and you had continued from place to place stealing what you could, how long do you think it would have been before you turned into the person who is before me now?”

“Charles,” Raven started, but Charles just held up a hand.

“Please, just answer the question.”

Raven stood there for a moment before picking her suitcase back up. “I'm not even going to dignify that question with a response.”

“I realize now that I only delayed you becoming this person,” Charles murmured. “And I wonder how it is I ever saw you as the girl I grew up with, when this is what was lurking below the surface.”

“How much more would you like to insult me before I leave Charles? By all means, do continue.”

“I'm not insulting you, Mystique. I'm marveling at how I never noticed who you truly were.”

“You two are being very loud.” They both turned to look at the stairs and found Erik standing there, arms crossed over his chest. “Peter claims you woke him up.”

“If you're here to take his side, just save it. I don't need to hear any more from you, Lehnsherr,” Raven said, turning towards the door. “I sincerely hope that I never see you again.”

“Oh, I guarantee that you will,” Erik said, walking down the stairs. “You can't survive on your own. I taught you well, Mystique, but I also taught you the value of a team.”

“I can lead my own team,” Raven said bitterly.

“Which is precisely why you're all on your own,” Erik said, coming to a stop next to Charles. “We will meet again, Mystique. You will need me before the end.”

“Keep thinking that,” Raven said, looking behind her. “You're the one who needs me, Erik.”

“I need you a lot less than you think I do.”

Raven just turned around and opened the door. “If he asks where I went, lie to him.”

“I will not lie to him,” Charles said as she walked out the door. “Lying is your method, not mine.”

Raven just slammed the door behind her in response.

Charles sighed heavily. “I didn't think she'd actually do it, but thank you for the warning.”

“I'm sorry,” Erik said, bending down to brush a kiss across Charles's lips. “But she is not who you think she is.”

“I don't think she ever was in hindsight,” Charles murmured. “She's fully Mystique now. I realize that. There is nothing left of the girl I knew.”

“This won't be the last we've seen of her either,” Erik said. “She needs help too much, even if she's too stubborn to admit it.”

Charles turned and looked at Erik. “And you will give it to her?”

“If I can, I will always make sure she is safe,” Erik said. “But I can't promise you that.”

“I'm not asking you to,” Charles said, turning his eyes back to the door. “Kurt will wonder where she went.”

“Kurt doesn't know who she was,” Erik said. “They communicated it German so you couldn't understand it. She told Kurt she was a friend, nothing more. He has no idea that she was his mother.”

Charles sighed heavily. “Part of me wants to tell him about her, and part of me thinks he would be better off if he has no idea.”

“I know it sounds harsh, but I think it is better that he doesn't know his mother has abandoned him twice.” 

“You are probably right about that,” Charles said, blinking. “Peter.”

Peter suddenly appeared in front of them, his hands held behind his back. “Uh, hey you two. Out for a little stroll of the mansion? It's kinda a quiet time, good for that sort of thing.”

“What is behind your back?” Erik asked, and Peter swallowed hard. 

“Nothing.”

“Peter.” 

“Nothing, Dad, I'm serious.”

Erik looked at Charles, and Charles just shook his head. “Peter, you know you cannot lie to me, so why you are trying to, I do not understand.”

Peter slumped down a little before bringing his hands out from behind his back, revealing the boxes of convenience store pastries in his hands. “The little guy likes them, and since his mother just checked out on him, I thought it might cheer him up.”

Charles sighed heavily before reaching up and covering his eyes. “I did not see this.”

Peter immediately grinned at Erik before taking off, and Erik looked at Charles like he was crazy. “What was that?”

“That's what I do when I decide that Peter can get away with his shoplifting,” Charles said, a smile on his face. “He meant well, and well, I imagine Kurt might need a little cheering up once he realizes Mystique is gone.”

“Mystique, huh?”

Charles stared into Erik's eyes. “Yes. Raven is dead. Mystique has taken her place. Now, let's go back to bed.”


	9. day nine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've rewritten parts of this chapter to make Wanda's age compliant with the fact that Bryan Singer has stated she was not the little girl sitting in Peter's lap at the end of DOFP, so if you've already read this, I suggest reading it again.

“That's everything I know,” Charles said, looking at Hank and then Alex. “And while I know that neither of you are fond of it, almost all of our information is coming from Erik, which is another reason why he will not be turned away when he shows up here. It's also why I've had him come with me to the recruitments of Jean and Ororo, and why it was that he had Kurt brought here.”

Hank sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “I understand that our information is coming from him, Charles. That doesn't mean I like it.”

“I'm not asking you to like it,” Charles said. “I'm asking you to understand. And I'm specifically asking you to figure out how these Tandem trackers knew exactly who Ororo was and where she was. They have some way of finding mutants, and we need to know what it is and how to counteract that.”

“It sounds like a telepath and Cerebro,” Alex said.

Hank leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I suppose there is the possibility that the information about Cerebro was copied and given to other departments without me realizing it. Trask could have obtained it, the same way he obtained your dissertation, Charles, and Tandem could be working with something like Cerebro.”

“Can you use your contacts and find out?” Charles asked. “Because it is imperative that we stop them, Hank. I shudder to think what would have happened to Ororo if we'd been fifteen minutes later.”

“I'll do some asking, but I'm not sure what I'll be able to get. Information about Trask is hard to come across since they've got almost all of it tied up into evidence for his trial.” Hank stopped and thought for a moment. “Of course, if I could somehow get access to that information, it may have the details we're looking for.”

“Sounds like somebody needs to do some snooping around the FBI offices,” Alex said. “Can we get Raven to do that?”

“Her name is not Raven,” Charles said firmly. “She is Mystique now, and she will no longer provide us with help. So that idea is out.”

Hank and Alex exchanged glances before Hank slightly coughed. “Charles, you always call her Raven.”

“No longer,” Charles said. “She no longer wants to be a part of my life, so I shall treat her like the person she has become. And that person is Mystique. We cannot trust her.”

“Charles,” Hank said, but Charles just shook his head.

“I'm serious, Hank. She is no longer a person we can rely upon,” Charles said, looking over at Alex. “If you two can come up with some sort of plan of where in the FBI offices you need to go and a detailed map how to get there, I know how to get in.”

Hank sighed. “Charles, we can't use Peter like that again.”

“We have little choice,” Charles said. “I've already spoken to Erik about it. He agrees. Peter's superhuman speed is a very valuable asset, and we have no choice but to put it to good use. He's nearly seventeen-years-old, he thinks the way we think, and if we tell him what he's going in there for, I know that he'll do it. Even if I have to play to his kleptomaniac side again to get him to do it.”

“The kid is so fast that you can't see him. I mean, he runs past me so quickly that I can't even feel a breeze,” Alex pointed out. “If anyone can get into an FBI office without someone noticing, it's him.”

“Which is precisely why he helped us free Erik,” Charles said. “Hank, you know that we need to get in there. We need these answers.”

Hank ran his hands through his hair again. “I'll talk to some people I know, see if I can find out the agents on the Trask case, see if the evidence is either at the FBI or at the Department of Justice, because they'd be the ones prosecuting Trask. I've got blueprints to both, but there's no tour to go on for distraction like there was last time. We're going to need some sort of way to get into the building, and we're going to have to look like we belong there.”

Charles nodded. “I'll work on that. You two work on a plan.”

Hank sighed and stood up. “Come on, Alex. We should work on this downstairs so there's no student interruptions.”

Alex just nodded and followed Hank out of the room. 

Charles sat there for a few minutes before wheeling himself back behind his desk and picking up a stack of ungraded tests. He opened a desk drawer to pull out a red pen, and when he glanced up again, Peter was standing in front of his desk. “Peter.”

“I have to talk to you about something,” Peter said, sitting down in one of the chairs. “Like, something serious.”

Charles set the pen down and gave Peter a concerned look. “Should you be talking to your father about this?”

“No,” Peter said, shaking his head. “Not yet anyway.”

“Alright,” Charles said, crossing his arms on the desk. “What can I do for you then?”

Peter pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and started fidgeting with it. “I got this letter from Marya, you see.”

“She writes to you often, does she not?”

“Yeah, I get like a letter a week, which I think is a bit much, but whatever makes her happy,” Peter said quietly. “But this one, there's a problem.”

“Would this be easier if I just directed you to the telephone and you called her?”

“I don't want to call her,” Peter said, looking up at Charles. “I want you to call her.”

“Why would I need to call Marya?” Charles asked, staring at Peter curiously. 

Peter sighed and opened the envelope, pulling out the letter inside. “Here,” he said, handing it to Charles. “Easier to just have you read it.”

Charles unfolded the letter and let his eyes roam over the script.

_Dear Peter,_

_Well, I don't know how else to say it than to just say it, so that's what I'm going to do. Peter, Wanda has manifested. She's, well, she's doing all sorts of things. She calls them hexes, but I think she has no control over them. She's set the kitchen table on fire three times in the past week! She told me she tried to open the door at her school and instead the glass inside it shattered. Whenever she tries one, something inevitably goes wrong. I don't know how else to explain what she's doing._

_I was wondering if you perhaps knew someone there at your school who would be able to figure out just what it is she is doing and what to do to make her have more control over it? I know that you have mentioned that there are several professors there teaching classes, but you seem to reference one more than the others, but still only address him as Professor. Is this a professor that could possibly help?_

_She caused enough damage at the end of this school year that I've been asked to find her a different school for next year. Would it bother you if I were to inquire about sending her to the same school you are at? I know that being the mutant in the family has been your thing, but Wanda needs help, Peter, and I'm afraid that I'm not able to give it to her, just like I wasn't able to help you for all those years. Please, write back as soon as possible and let me know._

_Marya_

Charles folded the letter back up and handed it to Peter. “So your sister has manifested.”

“Apparently so,” Peter said, stuffing the letter back into the envelope and then back into his pocket. “Look, I love Marya, I really do, but she doesn't know the first thing about how to handle a mutant. I drove her absolutely crazy and I wasn't setting things on fire. If she's wanting to know if Wanda can come here, it's because she can't handle Wanda anymore.”

“From the description Marya gave of these hexes Wanda is performing, it definitely sounds like she has little control over them. I would be more than willing to work with Wanda to discover the full extent of her abilities, including what they really are, and then to have her enrolled as a student here,” Charles said, smiling at the relief on Peter's face. “You didn't really think I'd turn her away, did you?”

“Well, I didn't really know how much me being here was because of me or because of Dad,” Peter said, not meeting Charles's gaze. 

“Oh, Peter,” Charles said softly. “I am very proud of the fact that you are here. You're an exceptional student, and you're a wonderful person as well.”

Peter laughed and looked up. “Let's be honest, Professor. I am not an exceptional student.”

“Then you haven't been paying much attention to your grades,” Charles said seriously. “But I have. The advanced classes we came up with suit you well. And you did very well in them.”

“I didn't really look at the grades thing,” Peter said. “Just sent it to Marya in a letter so she knew I wasn't just goofing off around here.”

“Well, I will have to show you them sometime,” Charles said. “But Peter, you are very much here on your own merit. I knew you were an exceptionally talented mutant that I would love teaching long before I ever knew Erik was your father.”

Peter smiled. “Thanks, Professor.”

“You're welcome, Peter. Now, would you like to tell me what you're hiding?”

Peter's head fell. “I don't know how to tell him. He was freaked out enough about me.”

“I think he will receive the news better if we deliver it together. I do not think the plan you have of introducing him when Wanda shows up here is a good one.”

Peter's head lifted. “You'd really help me tell him?”

“Oh, Peter, of course I would. No one knows your father better than I do.” Charles smiled at him. “That is a subject for another day, unfortunately. Your father and I have other business tonight. Now, shall we go make the phone call together? Or would you like to do it yourself?”

Peter quickly stood up. “I'll do it myself. Dad's waiting for you upstairs.”

“Oh is he?” Charles asked, wheeling himself around the desk. “Where?”

“He was in his room last time I saw him, which means he's probably snuck into yours by now,” Peter said, smiling. “And Professor? You're going to love Wanda. I just know it.”

“I'm sure I will,” Charles said, and then Peter was gone.

Charles looked back at the stack of ungraded tests on his desk before deciding he'd had enough of being a professor for the day. What he needed now was some quiet time with the only person he could be quiet with, and so he headed towards the elevator to go join Erik.


	10. day ten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, my apologies for not writing for so long due to major, major illness. i'm back now and writing is flowing again, so hopefully updates will continue in a relatively quick fashion. also, if you did not read the rewrite of chapter nine, i suggest you do so. i had originally written it believing that little girl who sits in peter's lap while he's watch erik on tv was wanda; it was then shown to me that bryan singer said that was not wanda. so i changed it so that peter and wanda are twins, which means a whole lot of new fun coming with daddy!erik. 
> 
> okay, that's enough from me. i hope you all continue to like this, and if so, please let me know.

“I don't know whether to be frightened or impressed,” Charles murmured, picking up one of the fake FBI identification cards Erik had. “Your people have really had no issue getting into the building with these?”

“None yet,” Erik said, sitting down on the bed next to them. “All we need to do is put pictures of Hank and Alex into them. I'm not concerned about Peter. He's too fast for them to catch on camera.”

“Photos of them will not be a problem,” Charles said, looking at the card closely. “You would think the FBI would be a little more complex than this.”

“Yes, well, we're lucky they're not,” Erik said, taking the card from Charles's grasp. “I'll leave you to get the pictures. Peter said there's something he wants to talk to me about.”

“Yes, about that,” Charles said, reaching out and touching Erik's knee. “I want you to remember two things going into the conversation.”

“What did he steal?”

“He didn't steal anything,” Charles said firmly. “Number one: he is a teenager. His mind does not yet work on the mature level of yours or mine, and he's never been forced to mature like you were. He's just a kid who is really scared of talking to his father.”

“He has nothing to be scared about,” Erik said, looking over at Charles.

“Yes he does,” Charles said quickly. “Number two: there is a place between rage and serenity. I want you to stay in that place while you're talking to him. And please try not to ruin all the metal in the house.”

Erik looked over at Charles with a blank stare before shaking himself out of it. “I take it that you know what Peter is going to tell me then.”

“Yes, he felt it was better to go through me first,” Charles said softly.

“And it's obviously something I'm not going to like.”

“I wouldn't necessarily say that,” Charles answered, bringing his hand up to cup Erik's cheek. “To be perfectly honest, Peter isn't the only one who doesn't know how you're going to react to this. I don't know either.”

Erik's gaze faded into concern. “Charles, what is it?”

“Peter has to be the one to tell you, I'm afraid.” Charles moved his hand away from Erik's face. “He's waiting for you in my office. Lock the doors once you're inside so you aren't disturbed. And remember, Erik, he's just a kid.”

“Says the man who wants him to break in the FBI,” Erik said, standing up. “Alright, I will go and I will listen and I will try not to break things.”

“Thank you, darling,” Charles said, reaching for his wheelchair. “I am going to take these cards to Hank and have him fit them with pictures. I will be in the basement if you need me.”

Erik nodded and walked out of the room, taking the stairs down to Charles's office so he could leave the elevator free for Charles to use. He took a deep breath outside of the office doors before walking inside, finding Peter sitting still in the middle of the room.

Peter sitting still meant one thing and one thing only – he needed to be serious.

Erik swallowed hard before making the doors swing shut and lock. He stared at Peter for a moment before walking over to him, sitting down in front of him. “I was told you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yes,” Peter said slowly. “Ever since we had the big father-son talk in the gazebo, there's been something else that I've needed to tell you, but I didn't know how to. And you were already so freaked out, I didn't think it was appropriate to tell you at the time.”

“Peter, does it have something to do with Magda?” Erik asked. “Because I really would like to hear it if it does.”

“It kind of does,” Peter said, reaching underneath his t-shirt and pulling out the helix pendant, rolling it between his fingers. “I don't know how to do this. The Professor and I talked about it, but none of the ways he suggested I start this conversation feel right.”

Erik watched him for a moment, his eyes trained on the pendant. “Peter, why don't you try just telling me?”

Peter rolled the pendant between his fingers a few more times, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. “I have a twin sister!”

Erik recoiled as though he'd been struck, falling onto his back. He let Peter's words swirl around in his mind, dancing around the front of it, before he finally let them sink in. “I have a daughter?” His tone was of bewilderment.

Peter moved quickly so he was laying on his back next to Erik. “Yeah, Dad, you do. Do you understand why I didn't tell you?”

Erik took a deep breath, and then another, and then another. He stayed silent for so long that Peter switched so he was hovering over him.

“I didn't kill you, did I?”

“No,” Erik said, trying to keep his breathing calm. 

“Okay, just making sure.”

Erik stayed silent for several more minutes. “You have a twin sister.”

“Yeah. Wanda.”

“Wanda. I have a daughter named Wanda.”

“Yep,” Peter said, moving back to laying next to Erik. “You're going to love her, Dad.”

“Peter, I highly doubt I will be allowed anywhere near the Maximoff house to meet her.”

“Oh, you don't have to worry about that. She's coming here to be enrolled as a student. She manifested and Marya has absolutely no idea what to do with her. She's great, Marya, don't get me wrong, but she has no idea how to handle mutants.”

Erik looked over at Peter. “She's a mutant?”

“Yeah,” Peter said. “I'm not really sure what it is she does though. Marya said she keeps breaking glass and setting things on fire. The Professor said she probably has no control over her abilities. He's going to help her.”

Erik let that information settle into his mind. “I have a daughter named Wanda who is an out of control mutant. And Charles is going to help her.”

“Yeah, like he teaches me.”

“How long do I get before I come face to face with my daughter?”

Peter quickly moved away from Erik and into one of the chairs by the chess set. “She'll be here tomorrow. But don't worry, she has no idea that you're her father. We can work up to that one.”

“Does she know that you have met your father?”

Peter sighed. “No. I didn't want to tell her 'Hey, I found Dad but I didn't tell him about you!' I think it's best that the Professor gets us all together when the time is right and Wanda can be told then. Because, well, she kind of hates you.”

“She hates me.”

“Well yeah, ever since Marya told us the story of our father, Wanda has always said that if she ever met 'Magnus' then she'd kill him. But I don't think she'll actually try to kill you. Or maybe she will. Wanda isn't easily read. I think she got that from you.”

Erik sighed heavily. “I deserve to be hated after what I did to your mother.”

“Hey, Dad, seriously, no. You're just going to have to explain everything to Wanda like you did to me, and then I'm sure everything will be fine. There was a reason you left, and it wasn't just because you're an asshole like Wanda thinks. And she kind of blames you for Magda's death, which is just ridiculous and I have been telling her that for about seven years.”

“I think I need a drink,” Erik mumbled, and then suddenly Peter was next to him with a glass of scotch. “Where did you get that?”

“Do you seriously think I haven't explored every inch of this office?” Peter laughed. “The Professor has some really cool stuff in here. He also has a ton of really boring books.”

Erik laughed and sat up, taking the glass of scotch from Peter and knocking it back. “I think we'll keep that a secret from Charles, alright?”

“Right,” Peter said, wrapping an arm around Erik's shoulders. “So, we're okay, right?”

Erik looked over at his son and again saw traces of his father's face. “We're okay, Peter. I need some time to adjust to the idea of a daughter, but I'm not angry with you.”

“Good,” Peter said, his free hand going up to play with the pendant again. “Hey, you might want to make one of these for Wanda, or else she'll just steal it off me in the middle of the night once she decides she wants it. She seems to always know when I sleep for ten minutes.”

“I'll work on that,” Erik said, reaching up to grasp Peter's fingers and the pendant. “I didn't know if you would like it.”

“Of course I like it,” Peter said. “It's the only part of you that I have.”

Erik smiled sadly. “I'd like to promise you that we can all be a happy family some day, Peter, but I can't do that. All I can do is leave little parts of me around for you. You'll find another one on the desk in your room. Just put it there this afternoon.”

“Well, I'm still going to hope that someday we can be a happy family. You, me, Wanda, and Charles. And I totally want to go see what you left me so can you unlock the doors now? And just remember, Dad, being a mutant is the family business. Everything will be okay.”

Erik reached out and ruffled Peter's hair before unlocking the doors with a flick of his wrist. As soon as the locks were undone, Peter disappeared.

Erik laid back down on the floor of the office, running his hands over his face. 

A daughter. He had a daughter. A daughter that was destined to look just like Magda. 

Erik wasn't sure how he was going to handle seeing her.

A soft whirring alerted him to Charles entering the room some time later, and he made the doors shut and lock again. “I have a daughter, Charles.”

“I know.”

“I don't know if I can handle seeing her yet. I had time to get used to the idea of Peter being my son, because whether I want to admit it or not, I think I probably knew from the second he told me his mother knew a man who could bend metal. But a daughter, Charles. She's going to look like Magda and I just...I'm not sure I can handle that.”

“You don't have to meet her straight away,” Charles said softly. “I think it's more important to get her settled, her mutation figured out, and get it under control first.”

“I think Peter wants me to meet her. Or at least see her. He said he doesn't think we should tell her I'm her father yet.”

“I agree with that, from what Peter has told me about Wanda,” Charles said. “I have already explained to Hank and Alex that we will not be informing Wanda of the fact that you are her father immediately, and that there shall be no mention of the fact that Peter is your son in front of her as well.”

“Yeah, 'cause they'll listen.”

“They will on this. Believe it or not, they understand the effect that revealing your parentage to an out of control mutant could be.”

Erik took a deep breath and got up off the floor, turning towards Charles. “How did the cards go?”

“Cards have been made and Hank said they look exactly like the ones he used to see when a member of the FBI came by Division X. So I believe they're almost ready.”

Erik walked over to Charles. “I want to be here when they go, but I cannot stay for much longer.”

“I know,” Charles said, reaching for Erik's hand. “We'll work something out, but not tonight. Tonight, we're going to bed early.”

Erik grinned. “Well, if you insist.”

“I do.”


	11. day eleven.

Charles wheeled himself into the garage just as Hank was finishing loading the luggage into the car. “Keep in contact. Use pay phones so no one can trace the calls from a hotel phone. I want a phone call when you're on your way to the FBI offices, and I want a phone call when you're on your way back from the FBI offices.”

“Charles,” Hank interrupted. “We've already been through this. Twice.”

“I'm just concerned,” Charles said, running his hands over his face. “I hate that I'm not going to be there with you.”

“You are going to have your hands full with all the students,” Hank said. “We cannot leave them unattended.”

“I know that you are right,” Charles said, taking a deep breath. “Which is why I am very glad you agreed to my terms.”

“I agreed to them only for you, Charles,” Hank said. “Certainly not for him.”

“I know,” Charles said as more people entered the garage. “I know.”

Peter suddenly appeared in front of Charles. “Alright, Wanda's asleep in her room. She doesn't sleep well, so she might get up and wander the halls, so if you hear anything break or shatter, that's her. Secondly, I think she has some serious sunburn on her stomach – she told me she was sunbathing on the roof in a bikini again – so you might want to suggest she go see Dr. McIntyre because she's suffering. She'll try to tell you she's not, but the arm around her waist is a telltale sign. Third, please, please don't tell her this is anything more than a field trip. I didn't tell her I was going back to D.C., only that I was going to the city.”

Charles sighed as Peter paused to breathe. “Peter, stop talking.”

“Okay.”

“I will look after Wanda,” Charles said. “I am not going to be able to sleep well while you're gone, so I will spend some of the time getting to know her and her mutation. I will refer her to Dr. McIntyre for the sunburn, and no one in this house thinks anything other than the fact that you all are going to the city for a field trip to buy supplies for Hank's lab. You are going along because Hank asked you to.”

“Professor,” Alex said as he walked past him towards the passenger seat of the car. “See you when we get back.”

“Alex,” Charles said as he felt a hand close around his shoulder. “Erik.”

Erik waited until Hank was in the car before locking the doors to make sure they couldn't get out. “Stay calm. This is all going to go alright.”

“Erik, I am trusting you to keep them all safe,” Charles said softly. “And that you will all return safely to me.”

“I will keep them safe,” Erik said firmly. “And we will return safely. I promise you that, and you know how well I keep my promises.”

“Yes, I do,” Charles murmured as Hank rolled the window down. 

“Locking us in the car, Erik? Really?”

Erik flicked his wrist and the doors unlocked. “I will see you tomorrow night, Charles.”

“Yes, tomorrow night,” Charles said, trying to keep all the emotion out of his voice. “You should leave now.”

Erik nodded and walked over to the car, climbing into the backseat. “Peter.”

Peter bent down to Charles's ear and quickly whispered. “I'll keep him safe.”

Charles went to respond, but Peter was already in the car and Hank had started the engine. Charles reached up and waved as they drove away, staying there until Hank shut the garage door behind them. He made his way back into the house and headed for his study, knowing that there was a glass of scotch waiting there for him. Before he could reach his study, there was a knock at the front door, and Charles frowned when he realized he didn't know who the person standing there was.

He bypassed his study and headed for the entry way, reaching for the door knob when he got to the door. He inched the door open as he backed up his wheelchair, and soon a young man wearing sunglasses came into view. Charles studied him for a minute before smiling. “Hello?”

“I was, uh,” the boy started, “I was told this was a place where I'd be safe.”

“Of course it is,” Charles said, backing up his wheelchair more and waving for him to come in. “Please, shut the door behind you. It's a little difficult for me.”

“Okay,” the boy said, walking inside and closing the door behind him. “My name is Scott.”

Charles thought of Logan and smiled. “Hello Scott. My name is Charles.”

“Is Alex here?”

“You know Alex?” Charles asked, and Scott's shoulders slumped.

“Not really. He certainly won't recognize me.”

Charles stared at Scott for a moment, taking in his appearance. His clothes looked as though they'd been worn for several days, the backpack that hung from his shoulder looked as though there was hardly anything in it, and the boy was frighteningly thin. “Scott, did you run away from home?”

Scott hung his head. “They were talking about turning me in to some sort of hospital so I could undergo some sort of surgery on my eyes.”

“And why would you need surgery on your eyes?” Charles asked.

“Because if I take these glasses off, red beams of light shoot out from my eyes,” Scott said quietly. “I'll understand if you want me to leave.”

Charles smiled. _Why on earth would I want you to leave, Scott? I told you that you were some place safe._

Scott's head shot up and he stared at Charles for a moment. “You didn't say that out loud.”

“No,” Charles said, “I didn't. I am a mutant, Scott. A telepath. I can read your mind, or say something to you without speaking.”

“That's really cool,” Scott said, a little in awe. “At least you look normal.”

“You look perfectly normal,” Charles said. “Who cares if you have to wear sunglasses all the time? I certainly don't. Why don't you come along to my study and you can tell me how you know Alex.”

Charles wheeled himself away from the door and Scott followed him into the study, slinging his backpack down on the sofa and sitting down. Charles maneuvered himself behind his desk and reached for the glass of scotch, sipping at it.  
“How do you know Alex, Scott?”

“He's my older brother,” Scott said, sighing. “I've never really met him. He was locked up when I was born, and he's never come home. All Mom and Dad get is a letter once and awhile. I heard them talking about Alex having a job in New York, so I went looking for that letter and got this address. What is this place? It's huge.”

Charles filed that information away for another day when Alex was there and Charles could guide a meeting between the two brothers. “This is a school, Scott, for people like us. Your brother is one of our professors.”

“Alex is a professor?” Scott laughed. “Mom and Dad wouldn't believe that. They said he must have gotten locked up in a mental hospital and that he was allowed to send delusional letters every once and awhile.”

“No, no, I can assure you that your brother's mental state is perfectly fine,” Charles said, having another sip of his drink. “Are you aware of the fact that your brother is a mutant?”

“Yeah,” Scott said. “That's why Mom and Dad had him locked up in the first place. Said he was too much of a danger to society after all the doctors they took him to didn't know how to cure him. They probably would have done the same with me if my eye surgery at the Tandem Initiative hadn't worked out.”

“The Tandem Initiative?” Charles shuddered to think of what sort of eye surgery would have been performed on the boy. “Well, let me tell you Scott, I am very, very glad that you are not in the clutches of the Tandem Initiative right now. They do horrible, horrible things to mutants.”

“Yeah, their description of what they wanted to do didn't sound very good to me,” Scott said, fighting off a yawn. “Excuse me, it's been a long day.”

Charles stared at him for a moment before wheeling himself around his desk. “Shall we get you set up in a room then? I'm sure you'd like to get some sleep.”

“I'd like that,” Scott said, standing up and getting his backpack. “Are there students here?”

“Yes, there are some that are spending the summer with us,” Charles said, smiling at him. “Have you ever been around mutants your own age?”

“No.”

“Then I suspect you're going to like this place,” Charles said, wheeling out of the room. “Let's take the elevator upstairs, and then I know just the room to set you up in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, yeah, i know, alex is the younger brother, scott's the older brother, but that's not how it is in movieverse so that's not how it is in this story.


	12. day twelve.

Charles was waiting in the garage as the car pulled in, nervous anticipation flowing through him. The car slowed to a stop, and the first one out was Peter, appearing next to Charles in a second. 

“We did it!”

Charles smiled. “Yes, Peter, I am aware of that.”

“I got you all kinds of information,” Peter said, his voice proud. “Dad said I did a really good job.”

“I'm sure you did,” Charles said, looking up as the other doors opened. “Everything went alright? No one saw you?”

“Oh, people saw us,” Hank said, stretching. “Alex got pulled into a briefing on something he refuses to tell me about other than it was a grisly murder. It delayed us getting out of the building by half an hour, but when we got to the car, Erik and Peter were just sitting there waiting for us.”

“You did not tell me about that on the phone,” Charles said seriously. “I thought I told you to report everything back to me, Hank.”

“I told him not to tell you,” Erik said, emerging from the car. “And he said that for once, I had a good idea.”

Charles looked over at Erik and sighed. “Why do you have a black eye?”

“You didn't really expect me to sit in the parking lot of the FBI offices for two hours, did you Charles?”

Charles shook his head and sighed. “We will discuss that later.”

“Fine,” Erik said as Alex approached Charles with a briefcase.

“It's all in there, Professor. Locked with the code you specified.”

“Thank you, Alex,” Charles said, reaching out to grab Alex's hand as he walked past. “I need to speak to you about something, Alex. Please wait in my study for me. I should be there in about five minutes.”

“Sure thing, Professor,” Alex said, grabbing his suitcase from the luggage Hank was setting on the ground and walking into the house. 

Erik gave Charles a puzzled look. _Charles?_

_His younger brother arrived here while you were gone, Erik. I'm not entirely certain that Alex knows he has a younger brother._

Erik's gaze softened. _I see. Shall I wait for you in your room?_

_That would be perfect._

Erik smiled and picked up his suitcase and made Peter's float over to him. “Come on, Peter. How about we go get some ice cream from the kitchen?”

Peter looked between Erik and Charles for a moment before grabbing his suitcase out of the air and grinning. “Ice cream sounds great Dad. Ice cream is always a great way to end a father-son outing.”

Charles broke down into silent giggles as Erik passed him, Peter already waiting impatiently at the door. When he got control of himself, he looked up at Hank. “I know you did not want him to go, but thank you for taking Erik along with you.”

“He was better than I thought he would be,” Hank said, reaching for his suitcase and closing the trunk. “I thought he'd try to work his way into the plan, get into the FBI and take over, but he didn't. He said he was there on your behalf to make sure everything went right, coached Peter up, even tied his tie correctly. Plus he was really helpful when we had to abruptly change plans.”

“Abruptly change plans?” Charles asked, heading towards the door with Hank. “Why did you need to abruptly change plans?”

“Because we looked at the information from the FBI and realized the stuff we really needed was at Tandem,” Hank said, coming to a stop. “He was prepared for it. I think that's what he was doing when he left the parking lot while we were in the FBI offices. Scouting out Tandem, getting a good look at what we'd need to get in there. I think he probably took out a couple of Tandem employees to get us the stuff we needed to get in there, but after what Peter got out of there, I'm not even upset about him killing people who work there. It's worse than you imagined, Charles. Much, much worse.”

Charles sucked in a deep breath. “I'll look at the information tonight. Then we'll have a meeting in my office in the morning. You all need some sleep.”

Hank stopped and turned to look at Charles. “It was almost like it was before Cuba. It made me remember there's a person in there, one you cared about a lot. I still don't like him coming here, and I still don't like that all of our information is basically coming from him, but I'll stop commenting on it. You two have a bond that I don't understand and probably never will.”

“Thank you, Hank,” Charles said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. “Go, get some sleep. I made sure none of the students went into the lab while you were gone.”

“Good, because there is stuff in there that no one but me should touch,” Hank said, walking ahead of Charles. “I'll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Hank,” Charles murmured, making his way out of the garage and into the house, heading straight for his study.

He wheeled himself in moments later and found Alex sitting on the sofa, suitcase at his feet. “I understand you broke into two places, not just one.”

“It was necessary,” Alex said, rubbing his hands over his face. “What do you want to talk to me about, Professor?”

“Alex,” Charles began, “when you write home, do your parents ever write back?”

“No,” Alex said, laughing. “They had me locked up and as far as they're concerned I'm dead. I only send them letters to spite them.”

“Well, apparently the letters you've been sending have had an impact on one member of the Summers household.”

Alex stopped laughing and turned to look at Charles. “Professor, what are you talking about?”

Charles took a deep breath. “A twelve-year-old boy arrived here last night, not too long after you all left. He is a mutant, he is very scared, and he ran away from home. Your parents' home. He came here because he found the letter in which you told your parents about your job here, and it had this address.”

Alex sat there for a moment. “A twelve-year-old boy? From my parents' house?”

“From what I got out of his head, it appears that your parents decided to try and have another son after you were incarcerated. But for them, it was a great disappointment, because this son also had something that no one could cure. He wears sunglasses all the time because without them, red beams of light stream out of his eyes, and from the test we did outside earlier today, they are very powerful beams. I shall miss those oak trees immensely.”

Alex sat there quietly for a few moments. “So I have a mutant younger brother, and he's here.”

“Yes,” Charles said softly. “His name is Scott, and he has the room across from yours. He came here specifically looking for you.”

“What were they...” Alex trailed off momentarily. “What were they going to do to him?”

“He was scheduled for eye surgery at the Tandem Initiative,” Charles said. “God only knows what sort of surgery that would have been.”

Alex nodded and sat there for a moment before standing up and grabbing his suitcase. “Okay. I guess I'll go meet my kid brother.”

“Alex,” Charles said. “He is very scared, so be kind.”

“If anyone knows what he's just been through, it's me,” Alex said, looking over at Charles. “I know just how scared he is. I'll see you in the morning, Professor.”

“Goodnight, Alex,” Charles said as Alex left the room.

Charles turned his attention to the briefcase that was still sitting in his lap, setting it on his desk and punching in the code he had given Alex. The locks on the briefcase were undone and he opened it, finding it full of folders and papers. He picked up the first paper he came across and looked at it, his heart immediately jumping to his throat when he saw the name on the report.

Sean Cassidy.

“Oh, my dear Banshee,” Charles murmured as he read through the report, a summary of what had been done to him by Tandem and Trask, as it had both logos at the bottom of the page. But the part that intrigued him the most was a box labeled Located By. And in that box, it had the word that Charles had feared.

Cerebro.

“Charles.”

Charles couldn't tear his eyes away from that box, not even for Erik. “Banshee.”

“I know,” Erik said, walking around to Charles's side of the desk, crouching down and pulling the paper from his hands, shutting the briefcase. “I don't want you reading this stuff alone. Or tonight.”

“Cerebro, Erik. They have a mutant operating Cerebro.”

“Not the same Cerebro as yours,” Erik said softly. “From what I understood of the material, and I read through most of it on the plane, it's got something to do with Emma. That's what they wanted from her. Her telepathic abilities.” 

“I can't imagine how they're doing that if they've killed her,” Charles said, looking over at Erik.

“I'm not sure they did kill her,” Erik said, opening up the briefcase and looking through it for a folder. “Have a look at this diagram. I think she's technically still alive, just experimented on so much that she's essentially brain dead but for her telepathy, which is powering their Cerebro.”

Charles took the folder and opened it up, feeling sick as soon as he looked at the diagram. “Wires, tubes, sensors, and God knows what else.” Charles closed the folder and tossed it back into the briefcase. “How did you get into the briefcase anyway? I had Alex lock it so no one could get in.”

“You never should have told me about how your codes work,” Erik said, standing up and closing the briefcase, locking it with the same code Charles had given Alex to use. “This one was easy to figure out.”

“I suppose that is alright, just this once,” Charles said, turning to look at Erik. “Erik, be honest with me. How bad is this?”

Erik was silent for a moment. “It's bad, Charles. Very, very bad.”

Charles let his eyes slip closed for a moment before swallowing hard. “I think I would like to go to bed now so I can dream that this isn't real.”

“We can do that,” Erik said, reaching out and touching Charles on the shoulder. “But when we wake up, Charles, it's still going to be real.”

Charles opened his eyes and looked up at Erik. “I know, but please, just let me be delusional tonight.”

“Alright,” Erik said, squeezing Charles's shoulder. “Come on, let's go upstairs. And bring that briefcase with us. Peter's been trying to get in it. I haven't seen him, but I know he is. He doesn't understand the gravity of what it is he's uncovered.”

“We're going to have to tell him,” Charles murmured as he began to make his way to the door. “He's too involved now.”

“I know,” Erik said, following along. “But I'd like him to still be an innocent teenager for awhile.”

“So would I, Erik,” Charles murmured as he made his way to the elevator. “So would I.”


	13. day thirteen.

“I believe that they've amplified her telepathy so that it's more powerful than yours, Charles. That's why you can't feel her. I think you can only feel telepathy that's less that yours,” Hank said. “I understand that Emma was never as powerful a telepath as you are, but given what they've seemingly done to her, and all the research that they've done on mutants that they've killed, they probably knew exactly what to do to expand her telepathy.”

“So how does this Cerebro work?” Alex chimed in. “I know you said you've improved it over the years, Hank.”

“I suspect it works much in the same way as it did when I first designed it,” Hank said, sighing. “Though they may have adapted it so that they get more than just coordinates of where mutants are. They may be able to focus her telepathy on the mutant more, get details on the mutant more than just the coordinates of where to find them.”

“That would be in line with what we know about the Tandem trackers who were sent to kill Ororo,” Erik said. “Their kill orders had the coordinates, but also her name and parents' names, amongst other information.”

“I'd like to take a look at those later, if you don't mind,” Hank said. “The information on them may lead me to understand how their Cerebro works better.”

Erik nodded and looked over at Charles. “You're being awfully quiet, Charles.”

“That's because I'm so angry I don't think I can speak,” Charles said. “You were right, Erik. We may have stopped the Sentinels, but this is far, far worse.”

Erik stood up and walked over to the chessboard, grabbing the bottle of scotch and pouring a glass. He walked it over to Charles and handed it to him, squeezing Charles's fingers as he did. “I think you need this.”

“I need about ten bottles of it,” Charles murmured, bringing the glass up to his lips and knocking it back. “Pour me another please.”

Erik took the glass from him and went back to the bottle as Hank started speaking again. “Charles, I have no idea how to counter this. There is absolutely no way that we can take Tandem down. There's too few of us. I mean, we're relying on a sixteen-year-old kid to get us our information. We can't keep involving Peter.”

“Peter is already too involved in this,” Erik said. “I wouldn't be surprised if he's in here right now, listening to this conversation.”

Charles closed his eyes for a moment and then suddenly Peter appeared in the middle of the room, unable to move. “Hey, what the hell?”

“Peter, it is not polite to eavesdrop,” Charles said, opening his eyes. “If you want to be a part of this conversation, be a part of it.”

“Dad said I couldn't come in the study,” Peter said. “So of course I had to come in the study. And um, wow. This is like some next level shit.”

Erik brought Charles his glass and then walked over to Peter, grasping him by the elbow. “Let him go Charles.”

Charles did that while knocking back the glass, and Erik dragged Peter over to the chair next to his. “Sit. Don't move.”

“You know that that's like an issue with me, right?” Peter asked as he sat down. “I can't stay still for very long.”

“Well, then I guess you'll just have to try,” Erik said, sitting down again. “Peter, do you have anything to add to the conversation, or are you just here to listen?”

Peter sighed and stood up, going to the briefcase and pulling out a specific file, handing it to Charles. “I think you need to read that one.”

Charles opened the folder and found a Trask report inside about genetically modified mutants. Instead of the powers they had been born with, they now held the power to render other mutants' powers useless. He read until he reached the part where they talked about the brain damage that needed to be inflicted on these mutants to make them useful before he slammed the folder shut and handed it to Erik. “Well, that explains how they make their trackers.”

Erik opened it up and skimmed through it. “Genetically modified mutants? Is that even possible Charles?”

“I discussed the theory in my dissertation,” Charles murmured. “And we all know that Trask had a copy of my dissertation.”

“How in depth did you go with the theory, Professor?” Alex asked.

“Deep enough that a talented geneticist could conceivably do it,” Hank said. “It was a very fascinating part of Charles's dissertation.”

“You've read the dissertation?” Alex asked.

“Of course,” Hank responded. “And well, Charles published his dissertation too. So, really, that information is out there for anyone who gets their hands on the books.”

“Great,” Alex murmured.

“It was just a theory, Alex,” Charles sighed. “I didn't think anyone would try to put it into practice, certainly not like this. Hank, is there any way we can find out who is working at Tandem? Bolivar Trask may have been a brilliant scientist, but he was not a skilled enough geneticist to have pulled off that theory.”

“Are you sure about that Charles?” Erik asked. “Because he certainly was skilled enough to have taken Mystique's DNA and create the machines that would eventually kill us all.”

Charles sighed, looking at his empty glass. “I need more of this.” Before he could blink, his glass was full again. “Thank you Peter.”

“You're welcome, Professor,” Peter said, pulling a bunch of cards out of his pocket. “Here, maybe these will help.”

Charles took them from Peter's hand and looked through them, shaking his head. “How many Tandem identification cards did you steal?”

“Enough,” Peter said seriously. “Look, I know I've already gone in there and gotten some information, but I honestly think I need to go back. There was a ton of stuff that I couldn't get into.”

“It is a huge risk sending mutants into that building,” Hank pointed out. “If they figure out that you're there...”

“Then I'm dead,” Peter said. “I get it. But like, they had a whole room full of files and I didn't have enough time to go through them all. I stuck to the time limit you guys set for me.”

“It's too dangerous, Peter,” Erik said, shaking his head. “I will not let you go back in there.”

Peter started to protest but Charles held up his hand. “I agree with your father,” he said. “It was too much of risk the first time. I won't let you do it a second.”

“Well, then how are we going to get that information?” Peter said. “Because there was a folder in there marked Team X and there was one marked Logan, and there was another one marked Stryker and they were huge files, like way too big to go through in the time limit, and I didn't want to just take them because they looked super important and I was right because then a guy came into the room and took them all.”

“Logan.” Charles knocked back his drink and sighed heavily before turning towards Erik. “Do you think your men can do it?”

“I think they will,” Erik said, taking a deep breath. “I'll need to take these cards, and then uniforms I took off the Tandem employees I killed. Trust me, I have people in my employ that are willing to lay down their lives for our cause.”

“Our cause,” Charles said, looking over at Erik. “For the first time since Cuba, I agree with you. This is our cause now. We absolutely have to bring Tandem down. It is necessary for our survival.”

“And what about Logan? And Stryker?” Hank asked.

“We'll worry about Stryker once Tandem is destroyed. As for Logan, given what he said to me in Paris, he's already under Stryker's control. We can't save him until we take Stryker down,” Charles murmured. “Alright, I think that is enough for this meeting. There is a bottle of vodka in the kitchen with my name on it.”

“Charles,” Erik started, but Charles shook his head.

“Not today, Erik. Today I need it.”

“I was going to ask if I could join you,” Erik said.

“Oh,” Charles said, wheeling towards the doors. “Of course. Hank, Alex, watch the children. And Peter, keep quiet about all of this.”

“Oh don't worry, Professor. I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm going to take Wanda outside so she stops breaking things in here,” Peter said, and then he was gone.

“Come on, Erik. This is too much for me to handle.”

Charles made his way out of the study, and Erik turned to Hank and Alex. “I'll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't drink too much.”

Alex nodded as he stood up, and Hank started gathering together all of the papers they'd taken out of the briefcase. “Thank you, Erik.”

Erik just nodded and walked out of the room.


	14. day fourteen.

Charles found Erik standing in the entry way, his suitcase by his side, as he put on his sunglasses. “Were you even going to say goodbye?”

“I knew you'd find me,” Erik said, taking the sunglasses off and turning to look at Charles. “I know I'm not supposed to, but I stood in the doorway of the television room, watched the kids for awhile. Reminded myself of why I'm doing what it is I'm about to do.”

“And what exactly is that, Erik?” Charles asked, wheeling closer to him. “Don't try to do this all on your own.”

“I'm not,” Erik said. “I have a fully capable team, Charles. And I have many more men than you do.”

“I don't doubt that,” Charles said, reaching out for Erik's hand. “But you can't take down Tandem all on your own, Erik. You'll either be captured or killed or both and I can't go through that. Please don't make me go through that.”

Erik took a deep breath. “I am not planning on taking a single step inside of that building. I have plenty of other mutants who will gladly volunteer for that assignment. But I am going to do what you cannot, Charles. Mobilize, pull together mutants from all over the country, and fight this battle.”

“This isn't a war, Erik.”

“Not yet, Charles.”

Charles let go of Erik's hand and sighed. “I'm going to worry terribly about you.”

“I know you are,” Erik said, turning towards him and crouching down in front of the wheelchair. “But Charles, I know what I'm doing. And I have a promise to keep, so that means I will be coming back here. When that will be, I don't know. Will that be the time that I'm able to stay forever? I don't know. I doubt it. But I will be back here. I have three reasons to come back now.”

Charles saw the look in Erik's eyes and reached for his hands again. “You saw her in the television room, didn't you?”

“She looks so much like Magda that it hurts,” Erik whispered, letting his eyes close before tears could form in them. “I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to talk to her.”

“You'll work up to it,” Charles said, squeezing his hands. “I'll help you.”

“I know,” Erik said, letting his eyes open again. “I know it's not the goal at the moment, but I'll try to find out what's happened to Logan for you. I can't guarantee it though. I'm much more concerned about what Team X is.”

“From the memories I got out of Logan's head, Team X was a government-led team of mutants headed up by Stryker. Logan was one of them for a time before leaving. And then after he left, and had been away from them for awhile, Stryker came back to him, and did terrible, terrible things to him. Experimentation of the highest order, the kind that only a mutant with Logan's ability could survive. I see no reason why that's not exactly what's happening right now.”

“I sent Logan to the bottom of the Potomac River. He would have drowned, Charles.”

“Except for the fact that he can't,” Charles said. “He heals from anything, Erik. Even things that should be fatal. A time spent at the bottom of the Potomac River is rather easy compared to some of the things Logan has suffered through in his life. Or, I suppose I should say, will suffer through if we don't find him before it all happens.”

Erik just nodded. “Hello Peter.”

“Dad, you're leaving?” Peter was suddenly next to the wheelchair. “You can't leave now! You haven't even met Wanda yet.”

“I know I haven't,” Erik said, standing up and looking at his son. “But Peter, things need to happen. And I need to go make them happen. I will be back here, I promise, and I will meet Wanda then. But until then, I need to go fight this battle. And you need to stay here and be safe.”

Peter swallowed hard. “It's going to be a long time before I see you again, isn't it?”

“It might be,” Erik said. “I don't know how long I will be gone.”

“Peter,” Charles said. “Your father knows what he's doing.”

“Are you sure? Because you don't look sure, Professor.”

Charles sighed. “I'm just worried about him, that's all.”

“Because he doesn't know what he's doing,” Peter said, turning back to Erik. “Take me with you. I can get in there without anyone seeing me. I've done it once, I can do it again.”

“Peter,” Erik said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You're my son, and I will not risk you to the pain, torture, and death that comes with that place. Not again. I care about you too much for that.”

Peter stared at Erik for a moment before pulling him into a hug. “I love you too, Dad.”

Erik paused but eventually tightened his grip on Peter's shoulder before he pulled away. “Go take care of your sister for me, okay? I need her to be well when I officially meet her.”

“I can do that!” And then Peter was gone.

“That should keep him occupied,” Erik said. “He's very protective of her, I can tell.”

“Yes, he is,” Charles said. “Erik, about Mystique.”

“I don't think she will appreciate me passing along a message, Charles.”

“I do not want you to pass along a message,” Charles said. “I don't want you to involve her in this.”

“I may have to,” Erik said seriously. “She may be the only one who can get into that building, Charles.”

“It's her DNA that they want,” Charles countered back.

“Trask wanted her DNA for the Sentinels,” Erik said, his voice softening. “The Sentinels are no more, Charles.”

“Hank told me once that he thought her DNA could contain the secrets of mutation itself. He showed me what he meant with the blood samples he had left after making that godforsaken serum. Erik, I don't care that the Sentinels are gone. They could use her DNA to do anything.”

“Charles, after our encounter here, she is probably going to stay as far away from me as she can. I wouldn't say we are on friendly terms anymore.”

Charles sighed. “I know. But I also know that she tends to be at the center of where all the action is. She discovered what Trask was going to do long before you or I ever did. To think that she doesn't know what's going on at Tandem is a mistake.”

“I'm not making that mistake,” Erik said. “And I don't doubt that we might cross paths. But she won't help us, Charles. She's made that abundantly clear.”

“And when she needs an army to do what needs to be done, she'll come crawling back to you, just like you said. She may already know that's what needs to be done. She may be waiting for you to make your move.”

Erik took a deep breath. “Charles.”

“Erik.”

“I can't make her decisions for her, Charles.”

“I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to make a decision for me. Don't use her in this.”

Erik ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “Charles, I have to do what I have to do. That's all I can say to you.”

“Fine,” Charles said, backing his wheelchair up. “I suspect you have someone coming to pick you up.”

“Charles, come back here.”

“May I request that you meet them at the edge of the property? I don't want any of the students to see.”

“Charles, come back here.”

Charles spun his wheelchair around and started to leave the entry way only to be lifted off the ground and levitated back to Erik. “Erik.”

“Charles, I'm not leaving like this,” Erik said, setting the wheelchair down and spinning it around so they were face to face. “I'm not leaving with you angry with me.”

“I'm not angry with you.”

“Charles, I'm not an idiot.”

Charles sighed. “I still worry about her, Erik. I shouldn't, but I do.”

“I know,” Erik said softly. “But you need to stop. She made her choice, Charles.”

“I know,” Charles murmured. “I'm trying to accept it.”

“You're doing better,” Erik said, looking around the entry way. “Is anyone anywhere near here?”

Charles closed his eyes for a moment. “No.”

“Anyone coming this way?”

“No.”

“Good,” Erik said before bending down and kissing Charles hard. 

Charles answered back as good as he got, and they were both breathing hard when Erik finally pulled away. “You have to come back to me,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “I don't know what I'll do if you don't.”

“I'm coming back to you, Charles,” Erik said, letting go of his hold on the wheelchair. “I have my own precautions against Tandem.”

“And what might those be?”

Erik reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, tossing it in Charles's direction. “Thanks for keeping it safe for me.”

Charles looked at the key in disbelief as Erik walked out the door, sighing heavily once he was alone. He knew exactly what that key was for, and that only meant one thing.

Erik had his helmet back.

“How in the hell did you find it?” Charles murmured before turning away from the door and heading back to the study. “I'm going to make you tell me that someday, Erik.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next one coming soon!

**Author's Note:**

> So I self-published a book! It's a YA fantasy story and if you want to get it (it's cheap!) then [go here!](http://www.amazon.com/Aetherion-Rising-Adelia-Chamberlain-ebook/dp/B00FUT7UF4/) Do you want to read the first two parts free? [Go here!](https://www.wattpad.com/story/44126937-aetherion-rising/parts)


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